The Arts of Love and War
by Mentalshock
Summary: After Jusendo and the failed wedding, Ranma is given a book that might be exactly what he needs to navigate the mess that is his life.
1. On Warfare

A/N: Not only is this the first Ranma fanfiction I've started to write, it is also one of the first stories I've written in quite some time (about 10 years) - so please, bear with me as I shake the dust off. Of course, I do need to state the obvious: I do not own Ranma ½, and these characters are used without permission.

 _If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. - Sun Tzu, the Art of War_

An early morning sun rose over a desolate ruin…..(wait, many apologies, that's what once was the Tendo Dojo) as the residents woke from slumber. Only one still slept soundly, and that was only because he had been groggy from being knocked unconscious the evening before. At least he did until being tossed into the koi pond like she had most mornings. Climbing out, Ranma cracked her knuckles. "Damn it, Pop, yer gonna pay for that!"

Leaping out of the pond at her assailant, Ranma flipped over his shoulders and threw him backwards into the pond, landing somewhat dignified at the table where breakfast was waiting. Kasumi came out from the kitchen with a kettle of hot water, and passed it to Akane.

"Honestly, Ranma, do you have to fight him _every_ morning?" Akane asked as she poured the water onto Ranma. The same question she had been asking almost every morning - as if it would've changed anything.

"What, and miss out on beating up Pops? Now why would I go and do a stupid thing like that?"

"After the last two weeks, I thought you'd want a break from fighting."

"After _last night,_ I have a few very specific words to say to him."

"Ah. He's all yours,then."

Soun took a puff on his pipe and sighed. "I think it might be wisest just to say we'll hold the wedding after you each get your affairs in order."

Ranma and Akane glanced at each other. "You realize this is entirely…..

…. **your** fault."

They blinked as they realized they were staring at each other, and looked away, blushing slightly.

After finishing breakfast and getting ready for school, Akane looked at Ranma and smiled.

"Race you to school." She said.

"You're on."

Ranma ran along the top of the fence, while Akane remained on the ground. With a leap and flip Ranma landed in front of the school gate just in front of Akane. "Hah! I win!"

Out in the courtyard, Tatewaki Kuno stood in front of the horde of students waiting for Ranma and Akane to arrive. This being the first day they had school since returning from China, many were wondering what exactly happened. Kuno stepped forward and issued his challenge. "Saotome! You vile cur! Stand before me and pay for your sins! You have stolen the beauteous Akane Tendo away to China and subjected her to vile depravities. Then you dare attempt to force her to be wed against her will. No more. From hell's heart, I strike at thee!"

Ranma glanced at Akane, and she merely gave him a nod. [1]

Ranma walked forward, evading every swing Kuno threw at him, until he was standing eye to eye with him. "I will only say this once, Kuno. I have killed an immortal being to save Akane - and you think you can stand in **MY** way? She is my fiancee, you're just a pest. " Raising a finger to Kuno's forehead, he spoke in a quiet voice, punctuating every word with a flick. If he had been paying a little more attention, he might have been aware that he wasn't speaking quietly so much as shouting at the top of his lungs. "Do you get it now? **Akane. Tendo. Is. My. Fiancee.**."

The final flick sent Kuno flying.

He then noticed that not only was everyone staring at him with their jaws hanging open, but Akane was blushing severely. The school's bell started ringing, bringing everyone out of the moment in a mad dash through the doors. Unfortunately for Kuno, he had landed right in front of the doors, and no one particularly took any care to avoid stepping on him.

In their classroom, Ranma found himself cornered by Hiroshi and Daisuke, while Akane was dealing with Yuka and Sayuri. Even the rest of the students in the class were straining to overhear their conversations.

"Akane, did you hear what Ranma said out there? Did he really mean such a thing? What on earth happened in China? Has he finally admitted how he feels about you?"

Both of them were speaking at once, so Akane wasn't quite sure who was asking which question. Still, the questions she was being asked did deserve some answer, but how much of the truth was she willing to give? Still, given the way that she was being stared at, she felt she at least needed to say something.

"Well.. I heard what he said, but who knows if he actually meant it - it might just have been a way to throw Kuno off balance, given how crazy he is." Of course, Akane was quite convinced he met every word he had said. If there was one thing about him that she loved, it was that incredible protective instinct of his, despite the trouble it always brought.

"What about China? You just up and disappeared last week - you went and followed him, didn't you?"

"It wasn't by choice. The people Ranma went to fight found his photo of me, so they thought they could use me against him. They took me to where Ranma had gotten his curse, Jusenkyo, and chased me into a spring. I thought I was going to drown, but I woke up in a dungeon. Ranma didn't even know I was there until I had already trying to escape."

"Wait, They chased you into a spring? _You have a CURSE?!"_

"I don't have a curse….They had just dug the spring to create a new curse. Anything that falls into that spring will take my form when hit with cold water. That apparently, is how they planned to use me against Ranma and the others. Ranma told me later that she pretended to be me to steal a map to the source of Jusenkyo from him and the others." [2]

"Anyway, I escaped and found Ranma in trouble, like always. He was trapped with Saffron, the prince of Ho'o Peak - who was trying to drain Jusenkyo to trigger a transformation of some kind. As long as hot water was pouring onto him, Ranma couldn't do anything to escape or even fight. I had to make a choice, and I chose to save him by turning off the water. As I did it, I yelled at him to run. I didn't know that it would kill me."

"Wait… what? _**Kill you!?**_ " The shock and alarm was quite evident in Yuka's voice.

"I had all the water in my body magically evaporated, and was shrunk into a nearly immobile doll. That was close enough for me. You'll have to ask Ranma about the fight, though, because the next thing I remember is him saying he loved me, and him crying over me. Actually, it was one of his tears dropping on my face that made me wake up"

"Wow, I guess saying it doesn't mean as much as showing it like that."

"Of course, being an idiot _boy,_ he denied he even said such a thing…. But I know I heard him. Really, you'd think he'd understand just how well I've come to know him."

"And what about you? Have you told him how you feel about him?"

"If he hasn't figured it out by now, that's his problem." Akane answered flatly, but the slight blush on her cheeks was a clear indicator of what she was actually thinking.

"That's not an answer, Akane."

"I know." [3] She was having too much fun with her friends to consider how open she was being with her feelings regarding Ranma. They had known her long enough that it was well past obvious that she loved him. After all, it was the two of them that originally noticed how well they were matched, even if they had been denying it for the past two years. Hopefully, it wouldn't take another two years for them to clue in themselves.

Over on the other side of the room, Ranma was dealing with his own conversation, but he was not going to be quite as forthcoming as Akane.

"I already told ya, I didn't even know Akane was there until later. I didn't wanna get her involved, but you know how that always turns out."

"You are a big enough magnet for trouble, we're just lucky we don't get drawn in ourselves."

"You want in on the next batch of crazy, be my guest. Maybe I'd get lucky, and Kodachi would end up being interested in one of you instead of me."

In unison, Hiroshi and Daisuke shuddered, "NO THANK YOU!"

"Anyway, that was probably the most challenging fight I've ever had, and that's not counting the time Happosai hit me with that damn mark. This time, it was a real fight to the death. I only won because Akane showed me what I needed to do."

"So what happened after the fight?"

Ranma froze, if there was one moment in his life he never wanted to revisit, it would be that one. The feeling of holding Akane's body cold in his arms would be one that would haunt him the rest of his life. ' _ **That was the worst moment of my life… even the nekoken doesn't even come close. I will die before I *ever* let that happen again …'**_

"Ranma?" Daisuke poked him in the shoulder, having noticed that he was distracted.

"I won. Isn't that enough?" The coldness in Ranma's eyes should've been enough to end the conversation, but never underestimate the perverted depths the teenage male mind can reach.

"Oh, I get it." Hiroshi grinned. "You don't want to tell us how you and Akane celebrated, do you?"

"C'mon man, you've got to tell us," Daisuke cajoled, "you can't hide anything from us. You finally had your chance to get with her, didn't you?"

"Feh. If *that* happened I wouldn't be talking about it with anyone, least of all either of you"

"So something ***did*** happen!"

Ranma shrugged. "You'd just go ahead and think that anyway." He was getting frustrated, as he hadn't had much time to himself to sort out everything that had happened. Much of it was still too raw in his memory, especially how terrified he felt when he thought Akane was dead. If he had attempted a Shi-Shi Hokodan at that particular moment, he probably would've leveled China itself.

"You meant what you said to Kuno, out there didn't you?"

"I said what I said." Ranma had already forgotten what exactly he had said to Kuno, so there was no point trying to explain what was probably meaningless banter between combatants.

The two conversations ended abruptly as the teacher walked in, but the four participants who were not engaged clearly noticed that Ranma and Akane were looking at each other and blushing slightly.

Within the Nekohanten another conversation was taking place between an Amazonian Elder and her great-granddaughter.

"Grand-daughter, do not imagine for a moment that I hold your theft of the map against you - you were not in control of your own mind, but I must know how you came back to yourself. The battle with Saffron will be enough for another day."

"After Ranma escaped Saffron, Shampoo threaten to snap Akane's neck unless Ranma give her himself. Ranma say he want see Shampoo naked, but was trick to get imprinting eggs Shampoo had. Ranma got Shampoo into egg, but Mousse give Shampoo mirror so she imprint on herself."

"Mousse gave you a mirror? He did not try to have you imprint yourself on him? That is most interesting."

"Mousse always want Shampoo, but now he prove himself too weak even when perfect opportunity present itself."

"If you think that was weakness, you are as blind as he is without glasses. Imagine what he could've had you do if you imprinted on him. You'd have been no better than a slave to him, and while most outsider males would drown themselves drooling over such a possibility, he chose to ***ignore*** that opportunity and give you your own will back. I am starting to think he may be a more worthy match for you than he appears."

"Shampoo know Mousse, he no understand what Shampoo want. Mousse is good man, but Ranma better."

"And yet, child, you just asked the most important question: What do *you* want? Ranma has made his choice, and it isn't you. Have you heard the foreign saying 'perfection is the enemy of the good'? You have tried to win Ranma, and have failed repeatedly. What good can come of continuing a futile struggle? His actions have shown that this battle has been lost before it even began. That is not even considering that he is powerful enough to be a threat to the tribe. Think about how he was able to defeat Saffron, do you not see the threat he could become? Now we must seek another path. He will not join us willingly, but perhaps we might at least earn his trust. If we have that, then we have accomplished much."

"What great-grandmother mean?"

"It is simple, my dear. As an Elder, once I have a chance to speak with him, I will consider dissolving your Kiss of Marriage upon him. You can no longer gain him as a husband, but we may yet gain him as an ally. Consider this, Shampoo, between Ranma and Mousse, which one knows you most? Who between them understands you? We will speak about this again after you have had some time to think."

Ranma was balanced on the fence as usual, and Akane was on the sidewalk as they were walking back from school. Ranma had a slight scowl on his face as he thought about what had happened that day.

He sighed.

Akane turned to look at him, slight concern in her eyes. "What is it, Ranma?"

"I don't get it, Akane. Everyone seems to think Jusendo was just another adventure for us, but it wasn't. We both almost got killed. As far as I'm concerned, you were! You don't know what it was like holding you there in that cavern. I just can't go through a thing like that again."

He paused and turned to look at her. She could tell that he was trying to control his emotions, and failing miserably. The subtle clenching of his fists was a dead giveaway. Still, she waited for him to finish his thought.

"I killed someone in that fight. ***I*** killed. That's not something you can undo. Yeah, sure, he turned out to have been an immortal being, but what if I was fighting someone like Herb, or Pantyhose Taro? There's no way I could've known he'd just revert to an egg. I've always tried to keep control of my strength, but that was the first time I have ever had to let it loose like that, and it almost wasn't enough. I got lucky, and even that wasn't enough to keep you safe. We're engaged, aren't we? Doesn't that mean your safety is my responsibility?"

Akane turned to look at him. "Don't you think I can take care of myself, Ranma?"

"Uh….." Ranma always looked like a deer in headlights when he panicked and had to scramble for a response, which Akane found simply adorable. [4] "Yes, alright, you can take care of yourself most of the time, but honestly, 'kane, how often have you been kidnapped, or I've been drugged, or we've been forced into a ridiculous situation?"

"If you've paid any attention, we've always ended up getting out of those situations together. Besides, you once ended up a five-year old from a mushroom - that's pretty ridiculous."

"Heh.. Admit it, you enjoyed that way more than Ryoga or I did. That was still a dirty trick you played, making us think that we'd be stuck that way."

Akane blushed slightly, remembering that she actually had spanked him for his behaviour.

She briefly wondered what would've happened if their positions had been reversed. "Well, it was pretty funny. You were finally acting your age. Although, Dad was a little weird about it. You did make for a pretty cute kid. I wonder what you would've looked like if you'd been in your cursed form." She smiled at the thought.

"Akane, If you were ever a cuter kid than me, I'll eat your cooking for a week."

"Oh **really?"** She rolled her eyes at him. "Well then, it's a bet. When we get home, we'll have to ask your mom for some pictures, I'm sure she's kept some of you, and if you turn out to have been a cuter kid, I'll go on a training trip with you."

"What, to cook?"

"To train, you idiot. You can do the cooking if you want."

Ranma paled a little, because he was slowly coming to realize the dangerous ground he was getting himself into. There was only going to be one way out of this, and his pride wasn't going to come out unscathed. Given the difficult choice between his pride and his dignity, his sense of self-preservation won out. "Alright, alright, fine, then we'll also have to look at some pictures of you. I'm sure Kasumi knows where they are."

"You actually want to see pictures of me as a kid? You know that I'm going to have to ask your mother for a baby picture of you."

"Oh, and I guess I'll ask your Dad for one of you."

"You couldn't possibly have been a cuter baby than me!"

"Oh yeah? It's not my fault baby girls are automatically cute. Boys are just handsome."

"Oh, so you think I'm handsome do…." Ranma shut himself up with a rather unmanly squeak, because when one hasn't quite been able to put into words how they feel about someone, there are a number of pitfalls that can emerge in conversation with them. It's one thing to have decided for yourself that you love them, but it is quite another thing to converse with it remaining unsaid. A discerning eye might just guess at the heart behind the words, but for the uninitiated, it'll always just seem like petty bickering. In the back of his mind, Ranma was quite certain how Akane felt about him, just as she knew how he felt about her, but because they haven't quite had the chance to properly acknowledge it to each other, they were just leading themselves into the kind of trouble that only comes from love. Ranma searched Akane's face for any signs of reaction, because he was counting on her sense of embarrassment to put an end to this before it got out of hand. Too late for him, they were already home.

Nodoka Saotome was waiting for Ranma and Akane by the gate as they stepped through. Whatever had happened to her son in China greatly concerned her, as Genma did not give her all the details, save that he had killed to save Akane's life. While she felt that such an act proved Ranma's manliness, it is the sort of thing that becomes a burden on one's soul. If she could have spared her son such a responsibility, she would not have hesitated. As it stood, she needed to let Ranma come to terms with it himself. Akane would likely play a large part in doing that, as the bond between them was clear. Unlike her husband, she knew that meddling in the affairs of the heart always led to disaster. For all his skill in martial arts, her son was virtually hopeless where the heart was concerned.

Ranma came through the gate first, with Akane laughing behind him. His face was slightly red, so he had evidently stepped on a verbal land mine. [5] He greeted his mother with a wave.

"Welcome home. How was school?" Nodoka asked.

"Terrible. Everyone kept wanting to know about what happened in China. I only told Hiroshi and Daisuke some of the details, but they're probably going to tell everyone else. We only got back four days ago, anyway." Ranma was just glad to be home. He had had enough of people bugging him for details about what happened. Maybe if he had a chance to meditate, he'd be able to clear his mind enough to actually deal with it.

"Yeah, I was talking to my friends too, and that was all they wanted to know about. Ranma and I haven't even had a chance to talk about it with each other, so it's been a little overwhelming." Akane suspected that trying to talk about this with Ranma before he was ready would just lead to more evasive answers and lead to one of their usual arguments. She wasn't going to let him know that she was starting some of those arguments on purpose because of how fun it was to get him riled up. She never considered the possibility that he was doing the same thing.

"You can always talk to me, you know. That goes for the both of you. You have grown up to be quite a man, Ranma, but you should know that even the manliest among them still needs his mother."

Ranma flushed a little at his mother's statement, but nodded. "Sure, Mom, I will."

Akane looked between them, and then decided that this would probably be the best opportunity she had to settle their little bet. "Auntie Saotome, I was wondering if you had any photos of Ranma when he was younger? I've always wondered what he might've looked like as a baby."

There are some looks you really do not want to see on your mother's face as a young man, and Ranma got a close look at one of them. Nodoka had taken on the 'Look of the Future Grandmother', which would normally be fine if you're not the one going to be having kids, but seeing as Ranma was an only child, he just felt a deep sense of impending doom. As soon as Akane asked for her pictures of Ranma, Nodoka had already started to imagine her first grandchild.

"Why, yes, Akane, I do have quite a few photos packed away. I would be glad to show them to you. In fact, why don't you ask your father for your own photos, so Ranma can see what you looked like as well?" [6]

"That would be great. I'd love to show him some of my childhood. We haven't talked that much about it, anyway."

"Hey, don't I get any say in this?" Ranma tried to interrupt, but was totally unaware he was making one of the most famous of the classic blunders. The first, of course, is never to get involved in a land war in Asia, the second obviously being to never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line, but here he was committing the third, and arguably the most dangerous blunder - Interrupting a mother and a prospective daughter-in-law.

"Ranma. Don't be so rude." His mother was focused on Akane, but he could see the curve of the katana at her hip, so he wisely shut his mouth before it brought him any more trouble.

"I made sure that the photo albums where one of the first things I brought over. Come and see me in a few minutes so I can get them. Ranma, go and put your things away."

Recognizing that he would not have any choice in the matter, he went into his room and did as his mother asked. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, muttered against the injustice of uncute tomboys conspiring with his mother under his breath, and returned to the living room.

Returning to where his mother and Akane were sitting, Ranma hesitantly sat down between them. His mother had two photo albums sitting on the table in front of her, and was opening a third. He pinched the bridge of his nose, dreading what was about to happen. He needn't have worried, because the very first photo his mother pulled out was one he really did not expect.

"Now, Akane, I think you may have seen this one before. It was taken a few days before Ranma and his father left on their training trip."

"Oh no…. Not that one…. No, no, no, nooo…." Ranma paled and buried his face in his hands. Even the Soul of Ice wouldn't save him from this. When Genma used this photo, it helped him to master the Hiryu Shoten Ha, but with his mother having a copy…. He really didn't want to think about it.

"Oh yes, his father showed it to me, back when Ranma was learning the Soul of Ice technique." Akane suppressed a giggle at the look on Ranma's face as he realized the trouble he was in.

"This is one of my favorites, actually. This was taken when Ranma was 3 years old, and it was just happenstance that I caught it.." Nodoka slid a photo out of the album and handed it to Akane. Ranma was sitting cross legged with a small black kitten sleeping in his lap. He had a large smile on his face. Akane's eyes flicked over to Ranma's, slightly horrified.

"You had a cat?" Akane asked.

"Well, he loved it very much, but it wasn't ours, he belonged to a neighbour of ours. This little one seemed to adore Ranma, but he stopped coming around when Ranma was 6, I never figured out why." Nodoka grimaced slightly.

"So Ranma used to love cats, that's pretty interesting." Akane stated.

"Used to? What do you mean by that?" Nodoka asked.

"Uh…. I'll explain later, Mom. So what's this one, then?" Ranma reached over and picked up a photograph. It was of a much younger Genma and Soun. Each were holding an infant and were grinning like madmen.

"That was taken when you and Akane met for the very first time. You were only about 3 months old, while she was only about 2 weeks old. Akane, you should know that your mother was the one to take the picture." Nodoka was sympathetic to the girl, because her mother had been as close a friend to her as Soun was to Genma. The twin looks of surprise on both her son and his fiancee's faces were quite endearing, it would seem they were unaware of just how close their families were tied.

"My mother took this picture?" Akane's eyes were wide with surprise and awe.

"Yes, she was quite insistent about it. It's not surprising neither of you remember. There should be another one of us, instead of your fathers."

Ranma was looking at the photograph, examining every detail. While Genma and Soun were grinning in the picture, his younger self was looking at the infant Akane with a look of curiosity. She on the other hand was smiling and reaching back towards him.

"I think it was expected even then that it would be the pair of you fulfilling the agreement. While they had made the agreement before even Kasumi was born, well, there's no denying you were quite taken with her even then, Ranma."

Akane looked over at the photograph, and studied it as intently as Ranma was doing. They looked up from it to each other, and spoke in unison. "You win." They blinked, and started laughing, leaving Nodoka to look at them quizzically. Ranma was hesitant to explain, but Akane spoke up first.

"We made a bet before we got home. I guess we both lost."

"A bet? And just what did you bet on?"

Akane blushed. "Does it really matter? We were arguing over which of us was cuter as kid because of some magical mushrooms we encountered last spring. It turned Ranma and Ryoga back into 5 year olds. Fortunately, we were able to turn them back."

"Yeah, by playing dirty, 'kane. Seriously, I don't think I'd fall for that trick again."

"Did you take any pictures?!" Ranma sweatdropped in response to his mother's intrigued questioning.

"Actually, I had Nabiki take a few. I can go and get some of them later."

"Nabiki took pictures!? You didn't tell me that!" Ranma was aghast, and perhaps a little bit nervous.

"Don't worry so much, Ranma - she only took the ones that I asked her to take."

"How reassuring." He said dryly.

Nodoka interrupted them with a quiet laugh. "So what exactly were the stakes of your bet, then?"

"Uh… I said I'd eat her cooking for a week if she turned out to be cuter than I was."

"And I said I'd go on a training trip with him, not to cook, but to actually train with him."

Nodoka smiled at them. "And since you spoke at the same time, you both lost. That sounds very familiar. That kept happening with your fathers so many times - making bets that they could both lose. They usually lost to me and your mother, anyway."

"Really? That explains quite a bit." Akane was smiling.

Nodoka reached for another photograph. This one was of a very young Ranma in mid-fall from his first attempt at fence-walking. The panicked look on his face is the same one he's always had, which greatly amused Akane.

"Hey, I learned to do that eventually. You haven't even tried it yet, so what're you laughing about?"

"Some things never change, Ranma - you always look like that when you panic."

"I do not!"

The evening passed quickly, with photographs, memories and pointless bickering filling the air. Eventually the rest of the family joined them. Ranma would never quite admit just how much he enjoyed the experience, and it wasn't even half as embarrassing as he expected it to be. Akane on the other hand, was glad to have gotten a glimpse into the early life of the young man who had invaded her life.

That night, as the dojo's denizens slept, Ranma rested fitfully, his mind awhirl with memory. Even as he fell asleep it wasn't long before he began to dream:

The cavern was cold, that much Ranma noticed as he advanced to the flickering light ahead of him. He eventually came upon a ledge overlooking a scene permanently etched into his memory. He was back at Jusendo, and found himself having an outsider's perspective on the worst moment of his young life. He looked down where the other him was holding Akane at the base of the Dragon Spout, and watched as he spoke to Akane, tears falling from his face. He waited anxiously to see the moment when Akane would wake, listening to his tearful confession of love, only to be shocked and surprised when she did not respond as he remembered. The male figure below started screaming wordlessly, echoing off the walls of the cavern, until it sounded more like the yowl of a wounded and enraged animal. He watched as his erstwhile companions approached the trembling figure until he found his perspective shifting and merging with that of his other self..

Ryoga, Mousse, Genma and Shampoo approached Ranma as he cradled Akane's body in his arms. Ryoga called out to him. "Ranma? Is Akane alright?" He froze when he saw the inhuman look in Ranma's eyes. He reached out to touch Ranma's shoulder, to try to break the stupor when he stopped with a sharp inhale of breath. He hadn't even seen Ranma move, but he had certainly felt the Ki claws rip through his chest. Ranma looked up at him as he fell, an animalistic snarl on his face as he moved to attack the rest of the party. Ryoga tried to gasp out a warning but it just came out as a bloody gurgle as everything grew dark around him, the screams of his compatriots echoing through the chamber.

Ranma was nothing more than a passenger in his own mind as the Nekoken berserker tore through those that remained. Shampoo was the next victim of the rampage, and there must've been some lingering anger over her threat to Akane because she suffered the worst out of the three. With a quick swipe of claws, her throat was torn out, and as she fell to the ground the raw savagery of the bestial Ranma came to the fore. Before she even hit the ground she had been disemboweled. Mousse attacked, screaming for vengeance, but he was thrown against the wall with a sickening crack after having his left arm torn from his body. Genma, still in his panda form, acted in the only way his cowardly nature left open to him, and fled into the shadows.

Ranma turned towards Kima and the bundled egg she carried. With a loud growl he gave chase as she took off and flew back towards Ho'o Peak. The vicious feline in a human body finally reached Ho'o Peak, and the nearly defenseless inhabitants fell against the onslaught of their perfect predator. Time blurred in a flurry of violence and screams, with Ranma left watching the massacre out of the beast's eyes. When the dust settled, there was only one living thing on that mountain, and its terrifying howls of rage and pain were heard for miles.

Akane woke suddenly to a plaintive and frightened mewling at her door. Curious, she got up to take a look, and was surprised to find Ranma darting inside lost in the Nekoken. His eyes were wide open and it was clear that he was frightened. His nostrils were flaring as he circled around her, immersing himself in her scent. Ranma rubbed himself against her legs, glad to be in her presence. Akane was slightly embarrassed and sat down on the edge of her bed. Ranma leapt up beside her and curled up, purring. Absentmindedly, Akane reached over and started stroking his hair. She didn't know what could've sent him into the Nekoken, as there were no cats around, but it would probably take a while for him to come out of such a state.

"Oh, Ranma, what could've done this to you? If only you could tell me." Ranma shifted beside her, lying on his back with his head in her lap. His body was still trembling, but after a few minutes she felt him settle down. She looked down at him, and saw that he was falling back asleep. Once he had settled, she gently shook him awake. Ranma's eyes flew wide open with a panic as he suddenly realized where he was..

"Gyah! A-A-Akane? What?" His voice was a little slurred and confused. He sat up with a start. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he turned to look at her. "When did I come into your room?"

"You don't remember going into the Nekoken? I heard you at my door, and when I let you in, you were terrified. You were just sniffing at me, and rubbing yourself on my legs, acting like you were afraid something had happened to me. Then you just fell asleep. What happened?"

Ranma blinked as the nightmare finally faded from his mind. He saw the raw concern in Akane's eyes as he tried to explain. "I don't know. I had a nightmare about Jusendo. I was watching myself talk to you after the fight with Saffron, but this time things were different. You died in my arms, and that somehow pushed me into the Nekoken."

"So that's when you woke up in the Nekoken and had to come check on me?"

"No, that was just the start of the nightmare. When Ryoga approached to check on us, I found that I was no longer watching from a distance but was looking out from my own eyes, feeling the same things as my dreamself. He reached out to put a hand on my shoulder, and I killed him for it - stabbed him right through the chest with my ki-claws. That's not the worst of it, I killed Shampoo and Mousse as well. Pops just up and vanished, though. After that, I chased Kima and Saffron all the way back to Ho'o Peak. I killed everyone."

"It was just a nightmare, Ranma."

"You don't understand, Akane,this wasn't just any nightmare. I killed ***everyone*** on that mountain. I was a passenger in my own body, with no control over the beast I had become, and the dream ended with me alone on an empty mountain. I didn't wake up until you shook me."

Akane's eyes widened with the implications of what Ranma was telling her. No wonder he looked so shaken - his personal code explicitly forbid harming innocents, and yet he had dreamed of not only breaking his code, but in the worst way imaginable. She didn't want to imagine what he was describing, but he looked shaken enough she didn't want to leave him alone.

Ranma paused, bile rising in his throat, until he darted off to the bathroom to vomit, his dry heaves loud enough for Akane to hear. He returned looking pale and haggard. He sat down on Akane's bed and continued his explanation after taking a few moments to compose himself.

"That wasn't the worst of it, Akane. Not even close. It was having fun. I could feel the pleasure from each kill. I… I enjoyed it!"

He went silent. This was something he'd never be able to fully explain to her, he wasn't even sure he could fully explain it to himself. For now, he just needed to be near her, to assure himself that she was fine. He was thus caught quite off guard when Akane wrapped her arms around him in a firm embrace.

"It wasn't real, Ranma. You'd never do a thing like that - except for Saffron, you've never had any lethal intent towards your opponents - you've always just fought until they were unconscious. It's just not in your nature to kill."

"Yeah, I know, but when I'm in the Nekoken, I'm entirely driven by instinct. I can really only see two real options at that point, friend or foe, and at that point, the definition of 'friend' can vary. You're probably the only person who can safely be around me at that point."

"What about your mother? How would you see her at that point?"

"She doesn't know yet about the Nekoken. I don't think that'd end well."

"It is your biggest weakness, shouldn't she know about it? She might be able to help you overcome it."

Ranma stared at her. Was she really this blind? Did she not see the obvious truth sitting right in front of her? He knew he could be an idiot at times, but this was ridiculous. They had known each other for over 2 years at this point, and she still couldn't see it?

"The Nekoken is not my biggest weakness, Akane."

Akane suddenly remembered what Kima had said to her at Jusenkyo. She had said that Akane herself was Ranma's weakness, and given what happened afterward, she couldn't deny the truth of those words, even though she tried to deny there being anything between her and Ranma at that point, she knew the words were hollow. She let go of Ranma to look him in the eyes, and inhaled with a gasp.

"It's me, isn't it? Your biggest weakness is me."

Ranma was silent. So many emotions were flowing through him he wasn't sure what he should say. He could deny it, but as they both already knew the yet unsaid truth between them it would be meaningless. He could admit it, but that would have trouble of his own. He took the only option he could see. Ranma just nodded. Words would not be coming easily to him in this moment, so he remained silent. It was easier to just see where things would go from here, and adapt accordingly. That was, after all, the true strength of Anything Goes, adaptation and improvisation. He should've probably said something at least, because as he was nodding Akane embraced him again.

"I know. Ranma, I know. You don't have to say anything."

"Thanks, Akane." He reached up and squeezed her hand, a simple gesture that was full of emotions they hadn't been able to express with words. She squeezed back, and then let go of him. She snapped her fingers and stood up to rummage through one of her drawers. She pulled out a small gift-wrapped box and brought it over to Ranma. "Here."

"What is this, Akane?"

"Something I picked up for you a while back that I wasn't sure when I was going to be able to give to you. It's a book I thought you might find interesting."

Ranma tore open the box and pulled out a small book. "Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War'. I've heard of it, but I haven't actually had a chance to read a copy of it. Thanks, Akane. I think I'll enjoy this."

Akane stood up and opened her door. "I think it's time we went back to bed. I'll see you in the morning. Good night, Ranma."

Ranma left her room to go back to bed. "Good night, Akane, and thanks… I…. I guess I really needed you tonight, didn't I?"

Akane smiled and gave a small shrug. "I couldn't leave you stuck as a cat, now could I? You could have clawed up the furniture, and who knows if you're even properly house trained….."

"So uncute, ya Tomboy." The grin on his face took all possible sting out of the words. It still wasn't the smartest thing to say, but being male guarantees idiocy at random intervals. [7]

Akane slammed the door shut in his face with a growl, and went back to bed, blushing slightly.

End of Chapter 1: On Warfare

Author's notes:

[1] - If the movie 300 comes to mind, you'd be right.

[2] - I doubt Ranma would have told her of the exact circumstances, though.

[3] - Imagine the scene from The Empire Strikes Back with Ranma and Akane. It works, doesn't it?

[4] - This expression is typically an involuntary reflex that is usually not observed in the wild, but occurs when there is at least some degree of reciprocal interest.

[5] - Most fanfics refer to this phenomena as 'Saotome Foot-in-Mouth Disease', I elected to avoid that term, because 'conversational landmine' is a far more vivid (and accurate) metaphor.

[6] - As embarrassing as it is for baby photos to be pulled out, I want you to consider the necessary level of relationship required for this to happen in the first place - it's essentially the penultimate stage of a relationship'.

[7] - If we males could ever find a way to even explain why this happens, we'd still never fix it.


	2. Supreme Excellence

Chapter 2: Supreme Excellence

 _Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence. Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting._

 _ **\- Sun Tzu -**_ _ **The Art of War**_

" _Cynics are simply thwarted romantics."_

― _**William Goldman,**_ _ **The Princess Bride**_

Ranma's mother was smiling when they sat down for breakfast the next morning. He was immediately nervous, thinking that she had seen him exiting Akane's room the night before. He wasn't sure exactly how he was going to explain why he was leaving her room at 4:30 in the morning, because there was an obvious assumption of what might've happened between them. The fact that his father wasn't grinning at all would normally make him less nervous under the circumstances, but he was still dwelling on the fact that Akane didn't seem to mind at all his being in her room, and that she actually had invited him in. Sure, he was in cat-mode at the time, but he idly wondered if she'd have let him in if he was normal. Nah, probably not, because she'd have assumed it was for some perverted reason or another.

"Ah, good morning, Ranma," Soun Tendo was looking at him rather seriously, as if appraising the young martial artist. "Did you sleep well _last night_?" Looking around the table, Ranma noticed that his mother's smile had grown brighter, his father was starting to grin, Nabiki had yen signs in her eyes, and Kasumi looked concerned. Ranma was not typically known to be quick on the uptake, but he put the pieces together and came up with Trouble. [1] In a situation like this, there's only about a half dozen answers that would prevent any further trouble. Ranma being Ranma, he missed all of them. He stretched backwards with his hands behind his head. "Yeah, pretty well, why?"

Akane facepalmed audibly beside him.

"How about you, Akane?"

"I slept better after Ranma showed up." Akane slapped a hand over her mouth as she flushed red. Ranma's forehead impacted the table. She hadn't intended to say anything about what had happened between them the night before, but her brain hadn't quite engaged the brakes on her mouth in time.

Genma slapped Ranma on the back. "That's the way to do it, boy!" Ranma threw Genma's hand off, and shouted at him. "Nothin' happened, Pop. I needed to talk to her, that's all!"

"And what sort of conversation is appropriate so early in the morning, Ranma? You aren't married yet, so this is quite improper." Kasumi stated.

Akane fixed them all with a glare, and spoke firmly. "He had a nightmare about what happened in China. Since it was about me, he wanted to make sure I was okay. We talked. That's **ALL**." She wasn't going to mention that he was under the influence of the Nekoken when he first came to her room, nor the gift she gave him - that was their business. "How'd you even know?!"

Six pairs of eyes turned towards the middle Tendo sister. Nabiki shrugged. "You weren't exactly quiet when you slammed your door, Akane. It wasn't hard to guess. Did he come in through the window like he usually does?"

" **NABIKI!** " Akane shrieked at her sister. "What did you tell everyone?!"

"The truth? I heard your door slam, peeked out, and saw Ranma returning to his room. It wasn't that hard to figure out. I made no guesses as to what happened between you, nor did I make any implications - everyone else drew their own conclusions." Nabiki was a little annoyed with her younger sister, but not as much as her sister would be with her if she found out just how involved she had been with the wedding disaster. It didn't quite balance out. Eventually she'd find a way to balance the scales, but at this point, discretion was the better part of ambition. [2]

"A nightmare, boy? How weak. I have never had a nightmare in my life." Genma puffed his chest up with pride, until he deflated with a poke in the side from Nodoka.

"My husband, the liar. Did you not have a nightmare of being chased by ninjas through a zoo a month ago?" Nodoka was slightly amused at how fast her husband went pale.

"You said you'd never mention that again….." He muttered.

Everyone turned to look at Genma and blinked, then started laughing uproariously. The slight tension that had been developing in the room ceased, and domestic tranquility returned. Of course, it only lasted for approximately a picosecond before Happosai showed up. This being totally predictable to Ranma's experience, he was already in motion to punt the pint-sized pervert away as soon as he felt the splash of water. Happosai pulled himself out of the wall and rubbed the growing bump on his head. "Ranma! How dare you disrespect your master!"

"You ain't no master of mine, old freak." With a curse of frustration, the diminutive degenerate sat down and started eating. At least when he was eating a meal he did a passable impersonation of a reasonable human being. While Ranma couldn't deny the man's skill with the martial arts, the price he'd exact for any knowledge was too much to bear. If he was actually a decent man, he'd've been nearly unstoppable, but his perverted nature was as glaring a flaw as Ranma's own pride. Ranma was at least glad to recognize her own weaknesses, but still prideful enough to be exploitable.

"Now, now, my boy, are you sure about that? I taught your father, and he taught you everything you know, so that makes me your master by default!" Happosai could at least be civil when he was stuffing his mouth, but that never meant you could trust anything he said.

Finishing breakfast, Ranma got up from the table and went into the kitchen to get some hot water to turn back into a guy. On the way out, a parting shot was thrown back at Happosai.

"The old ghoul is more a master to me than you ever were, ya freak." Despite everything the Amazons had attempted to do to force their claim, Ranma had to concede that the training she had given him, and even the training she gave Ryoga had saved more than just his own life. Indirectly, Cologne had saved Akane's life multiple times, and that was a debt he could never repay. He'd later find out that this line of thinking was quite fortunate, for reasons he'd never quite fully believe.

* * *

For once Ranma was not balancing on the fence walking to school, but actually walking beside Akane. This was primarily because after the conversation the night before, he felt the urge to stay within arm's reach of her. Jusendo had only happened just over two weeks before, and he still hadn't had time to still the imbalance he felt in his soul. The fact that Saffron was reborn shortly thereafter would never negate the fact that he was Ranma's first kill. No matter what came in the future, Ranma would always have blood on his hands. He was certain he could live with that. He could live with that. He must live with it.

"Hey, Ranma?" He was pushed out of his melancholic thoughts to see Akane smiling brightly at him. "Are you still thinking about last night? It was a dream, I don't think you need to worry much more about it."

"Tell that to my sense of honour, Akane. I need to make peace with this, but that's not gonna be easy." He was never going to tell her that a large part of what he was feeling was lingering guilt for failing to protect her. More than that, he needed to figure out how and why a dream put him into the Nekoken. He clenched his fists and exhaled, in a mostly futile attempt to stabilize his emotions. "What if it was necessary to do it again? What if I found I ***liked*** it?"

Akane slapped him, hard enough to sting, but not hard enough to bruise. She had some slight tears in her eyes. She wasn't going to let him become afraid of himself, afraid to use the art he loved. "Idiot! Do you think you'd change so quickly? Do you really not trust yourself?"

Ranma was stopped short, both by the slap and by the blunt questioning. Was he really starting to doubt himself? No….. no, he didn't think so. If anything, he trusted his abilities even more now that he had been fully tested. What he didn't trust was his nature. After everything he'd been through, could he really consider himself a 'good' man?[3] He just wasn't sure anymore, and that more than anything is what unnerved him. Damn his inability to just come out and say what he was feeling. He looked at his fiancee, concern clear in her eyes, and decided to just get it over with.

"I don't know!"

His eyes were wide with a fire in them Akane had never quite seen before. She wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not, but she had gotten the answer she wanted.

"Good. We'll figure that out eventually."

Ranma realized in that moment he had been baited into a trap, and fallen blindly into it. Clever girl. Something had clearly changed between them after their adventure at Jusendo, but finding the exact words for it was just out of his reach. If he could say exactly what he was thinking, she'd either hit him, or kiss him, or most likely, both. All he was certain of was that she confused the hell out of him. [4]

The quiet ring of a bicycle bell announced the arrival of Shampoo. Surprisingly, this time she didn't use Ranma as a brake, instead stopping a few feet in front of them.

"Nihao, Ranma, Akane." Shampoo was actually greeting her largest rival for Ranma's affections in a somewhat friendly manner after threatening to kill her two weeks before. A chill went down both of their spines, because this did not bode well for either of them. "Come to Nekohanten after school. Great-grandmother wish to speak with you. Shampoo have deliveries. See you then." Shampoo got back on her bicycle and rode off into the distance.

Ranma and Akane looked at each other confused, then shrugged and continued on their way. They'd go there after school anyway, because it even if it was a trap or a trick of some kind, the traditional Anything Goes response would be to run headfirst into it anyway. If Cologne actually wanted to talk to them, then the least they could do was hear her out. Either way, Ranma doubted there was any significant threat. Of course, if the chaos-magnet he was ever understood that there indeed was such a thing as tempting fate, he'd probably hunt down and clobber everyone in the world named Murphy.

* * *

The school day passed with a minimal amount of frustration. Ukyo had not been attending classes since the wedding fiasco, and Ranma thought it was because she was trying to avoid being held accountable for her role in the disaster. Either way, they both expected her to return eventually. Even Kuno was less than a nuisance than usual, not even waiting outside the school in the morning. If Ranma was inclined to think about why this might be, he gave no signs, presumably because he was the sort of person who took things as they came. Foresight was only something he really bothered to use in battle, in order to predict his opponents movements. So when he and Akane entered the Nekohanten that afternoon, he was rather surprised to find that the closed sign was hanging in the window.

As soon as they entered, Cologne propped herself up on her cane, and came over to them. "Ah, come in, come in. Join us, young warrior, we have much to discuss."

Ranma was a little confused about the blatant change in address from the old woman. Of course, he was not tactful enough to avoid asking about it. "What, no son-in-law, or bridegroom? Just young warrior?"

"That is what you are, is it not? Both of you, please sit down."

Akane looked at Ranma, and receiving a shrug, they both sat down at the table across from Shampoo and Cologne. Mousse came out from the kitchen with a couple bowls of ramen, and sat down between Shampoo and Cologne.

"I want you to tell me what happened at Jusendo. Spare no detail if it is possible. I have already discussed it with these two, but as you were the one who actually engaged Saffron in battle, Ranma, I must hear it from you." Cologne was somewhat concerned about him, given the tone of her voice. Why were the details so important to her, anyway? He was unaware of it, but Cologne knew all too well the price he had paid in his soul for his victory.

"Why? Shampoo and Mousse were both there, what more can I add? They witnessed the whole thing. I don't see Pop here, so I doubt you've asked him for any details."

"Would you trust a word he said?"

"Nope. Haven't since I was eight."

"Right, so then…. Jusendo. You killed a very powerful being, child, an immortal. There are very few who could accomplish a similar feat. It would've taken nearly all the elders and half the village to accomplish the same feat, so you can understand why I want to know the details."

"If you had never taught me how to perform the Hiyru Shoten Ha, I wouldn't have stood a chance."

"Do you understand why I taught you that technique? The necessity of it at the time was not the only reason. We Amazons have many artifacts of great power, some of which allow for glimpses of the future. If I had not taught you that technique, you would never reach your full potential. Your father has been correct in one regard, child, that the life of a warrior is filled with peril. There is likely much danger to come. But I did not ask you to come here to fill your ears with dire portents and ominous warnings, I only want you to show me what happened at Jusendo."

"Show you? How can I show you? Do you want me to draw a picture or something?"

Cologne laughed. "You are more right than you know, child, for while we have artifacts that can show the future, we also have ones that can show the past." Cologne gestured to a mirror sitting on top of another table. "This mirror can show memories of the past. It's been used as a training tool, allowing warriors to witness the great battles of the past. We will use it to witness your battle at Jusendo through your own eyes." [5]

"Through my eyes? What exactly does that mean?"

"We will see everything as you saw it in the exact moment of battle. You, however, will have control over everything - if you wish to skip ahead in your memories, you need only think of it. The whole process will only take minutes, anyway. All you will need to do is place a pinprick of blood on the mirror, and focus on the moment you wish shown. The rest of us merely have to place our hands on the mirror."

"Sounds reasonable enough. I'll do it."

"Excellent. Shall we begin?"

Cologne offered Ranma a needle to prick his finger with as everyone else found a place around the large mirror. As Ranma pricked his finger and reached towards the mirror, they all placed a hand on the reflective surface. As soon as Ranma's blood touched the mirror, the reflective surface began to glow with a soft blue light, and everyone save Ranma felt a sudden pull downward into the brightness….

* * *

I look upward to see Akane running towards the tap on the head of the Phoenix Spout that's pouring hot water onto Saffron. If he's telling me the truth, there's nothing I can do to stop him from transforming. I'm going to die, as nutrients?! What a way to go. I can do nothing but watch as Akane reached for the tap and yells at me to run. I would if I could, tomboy of mine, but there's not much I can do right now. She grabs the tap and gives it a turn and….. No….. no… " **AKANE!"** no…. no… no….nononononononono **NOOOO!** She's gone. **Dead.** Vapourized right in front of me. **Nothing left of her** but her clothes. I hear Saffron telling me something… I can't care about that now. I can't care about anything now… there's **nothing worth caring about**.

Ryoga's here, pulling me away. **Who cares?** He slaps me, telling me to get ahold of myself. **I don't feel it**. They drag me somewhere up high…. A penthouse, or something. I just sit in the corner, holding what's left of… what's left of Akane. Damn it… I don't even have the will to cry. **She's dead….. and I can't even cry**. What a man I am… **so weak**. The guide from Jusenkyo comes over and asks to see me hands. Why, I don't even know… but I show them to him... 'like... hardened glass', Mousse says. 'Lucky', says the guide as he… what is he doing?! He's **taking her away** from me! I leap at him, yelling at him to **give her back** to me, but just crash into something….. **Akane…. forgive me**... I failed you… I'm sorry… please… forgive me.

"Ah, very good, still here." The guide says.

"Still there? You can't mean?" Was that Ryoga?

Wait… what's going on? I turn my head to see the guide remove something from the bundle of clothes that was Akane. I didn't even notice that **I was crying**. A doll? Akane… is a doll?! Wait… what did he say? There's a way to save her?... **SHE'S ALIVE?!**

She's only dried up… **I can save her.** **Akane…** **I'm going to save you** or die trying. According to the guide, I just need to turn on the other tap, and use the cold water from the Dragon Spout, and then Akane will come back to me. Heh. . **This'll be easy.**

Ranma forced his will into the artifact: _No…_ _ **I'm not going through this again**_ … _. We know how this went... we broke the spout…_ _ **I lost Akane**_ _, then fought Shampoo for those imprinting eggs… they were there for this… we fell…_ _ **down to the caves**_ … _down to my nightmares…_

I watched as Saffron climbed from his shattered egg… he turned his eyes towards me, and… **WHOA!** That was a big ball of fire…

Blah-Blah-Blah. Shut the hell up, Saffron. **You're in my way.** You think I care about any of what you're saying? Akane's life is on the line. I'm going to make that water flow. **I will save her.** Wait… .her eyes are closing? What's going on? Wait… if they close… she's gone for good? I won't be able to bring her back? **HELL NO.** Hang on, Akane. Hang on! … Can she hear me? I think she can hear me. She **CAN** hear me!

Wait, Saffron's speaking again. This is an incomplete transformation? I might just stand a chance then. **A chance is all I've ever needed.** Holy crap! How much firepower can this guy throw around? I grab the Gekkaja and make my move. If I can get it into place, I can get the water flowing and save Akane. **YIKES!** I've been blasted away by an attack before, but this is an entirely new level of power.. I'm outside the cave now, and I can see Saffron coming after me. I have a shot at an ambush, and I'm gonna take it. Yes!

"You're grounded!"

I've cut off one of his wings. That should level the playing field. I'm going to finish him now, before it's too late to **SAVE AKANE.** What the hell?! He can regenerate?! I have to literally rip him apart? **I have to kill?!** Damn, this is it… I can't survive a blast that big…. **Akane, I'm so sorry…** what is she…. she's taking the blast for me? **Ow. Nh.** Well, I'm alive… and… she's… she's hot to the touch, although, she kinda is the other way too now that I think about it… Her eyes are almost closed…. **I'm running out of time!** Got to get the Gekkaja before… it broke?! Wait… another blast…. and is that water vapour? Wait… maybe it's not broken… maybe it works that way… it freezes…. Fire… and ice…. I run towards him, throwing a decoy at him as a distraction. **It worked.** HA! It can quick-freeze a boulder. That means I can get water vapour without moisture. I work quickly to freeze a spiral into the ground. If I'm lucky, he'll have no idea what the hell I'm doing… **Do I even have an idea?** He's coming right at me. I'm going to end this.

 **HIRYU SHOTEN HA!**

Ha! It's working! I'm airborne! By his own words, I'll have to rip him apart… well, **For Akane** , I will gladly oblige him. I'm going to have to use the Gekkaja on him, it's the most effective thing I've got. Damn, he can counter it with his own weapon. No time for thinking… just fight, can't worry about her now, I've got to finish this, wait, are the flames getting weaker? Wait… he can't actually fight… he can't handle being punched or kicked?! Oh hell… almost literally.. **Is that freakin' LAVA!?** He's got me. An attack like that'll burn me to a crisp… burn me….. oh…. I hope this works… freezing myself like this HURTS. I'll only have one shot at this… this is the last battle of Ranma Saotome… it's either him or me… no, it's him or **Akane**. No, I don't matter… **she does** … If I die, please, at least **let her live** …. Is she heating up? How? **AKANE!** I don't know how, but she's moving… the ice is gone…. she's carving me a path… I can move…. I can… .I can see Saffron.. Thank you, Akane… I can **DO THIS!**

 **HIRYU HYO TOPPA!**

I got him… I won? I WON! Akane! Got to catch her! She's….. She's smiling? Her eyes… **HER EYES ARE ALMOST CLOSED!** No time… No time…. If I can't get her to the water, I can bring the water to us!

 **HIRYU GYOTEN HA!**

Yes! I can feel the cold spray of water, as my body changes… and Akane is back… she's whole… she's…..not breathing? **DAMMIT.**

Akane… You did this for me… your life for mine… **it should be the other way around** … you were always doing things like that… You were so… so…. ….so stupid. No… Wait… I hit myself, this is not what I should be saying, dammit... I should be saying… Thank you, Akane. I'm sorry, I'm really lame at this stuff. I… never told you how I really feel. Can you hear me? I want to ( **Need to)** tell you something.. Please, be able to hear me…. "I love you" **AKANE!** I can feel the tears falling from my face….and then…..her hand reaching up to my face…..she heard everything….

 **OH CRAP! SHE HEARD EVERYTHING!** I said nothing… I know nothing, I didn't mean it… nope, nope… I didn't say what I was actually feeling.. I'm a guy, we always lie about this stuff…. Don't we? [ 6]

* * *

A soft pulsing of blue light, and the blinking of eyes ended the spell. Having experienced the magic of the artifact before, the Amazons took a step back as they reacclimated to reality.. Akane, however, immediately gave in to her first three impulses. She punched Ranma in the gut as hard as she possibly could, making him stagger a step back, then slapped him across the face, and what was probably most surprising, she pulled him close and kissed his cheek. As she pulled away embarrassed, Ranma's eyes were filled with confusion. "Akane? What'd you do that for?!"

Cologne and Mousse stared at him for a moment. He truly was as dense as he appeared to be at times. Akane had just seen the full depth of his soul, after all, so expecting her to not react would be the height of stupidity. In their opinions, Ranma got off lucky. Shampoo was looking sullen as she clung to Mousse's arm, her eyes wet with tears. It was evident that she had finally begun to accept the truth, that she was engaging in a battle of the heart when the war had already been won.

"Well, child, I've seen exactly what I expected to see. Quite an impressive display indeed. There is no doubt in my mind that you will have even greater feats ahead of you. That makes this next task of mine even easier."

"Next task of _yours_? What do you mean by that?"

"It is in the best interest of our tribe to release you from any existing obligation under our laws between you and Shampoo. Therefore, under my authority as Elder of the Joketsuzoku, I release you from our law. I will warn you that this will not protect you from any future bonds from any other Amazon, but that shouldn't be terribly likely anyway. We would like to keep you as a friend and ally, if you are willing."

Ranma was floored. He hadn't considered this as a possibility. Akane, just as surprised as he was, (especially since Shampoo had been a bigger threat to her than she was to Ranma) looked over to where Mousse was attempting to console Shampoo, and saw her looking back at her and Ranma with tearful eyes. She was sympathetic to the girl, because it could not be easy to have your heart broken so dramatically. Her compassionate nature guiding her, she went over and joined them.

"Shampoo….. You really do love him, don't you?"

"Why you care? Shampoo lose, Akane win."

"What have I won, exactly? So what does it matter to you if Ranma loves me... it doesn't mean he doesn't care about you in some way. He's gone through so much to help us both at times. It's just….. if it wasn't for him being between us, we probably could've been friends. I'd still like to be, if it's possible."

Shampoo was surprised at Akane. She had attempted to kill her before, had threatened her in front of Ranma, and had even gone so far as to erase her memories of him, and yet she wanted to be friends? Who was this girl that she forgave so easily? Still, she was right. The two of them did have a lot in common, even without Ranma. Shampoo was inclined to accept Akane's offer, because even if she couldn't win Ranma's heart, she could at least keep him as a friend. A small part of her was still thinking that she could leverage that, but she knew it would be a wasted effort.

Mousse was wise enough to remain silent. A delicate balance was being established in front of him, and a careless word could shatter it. From his perspective, everything Ranma had felt in his memory made perfect sense. He felt the same protective instinct towards Shampoo that Ranma felt towards Akane, but he at least had learned some degree of social restraint that Ranma never would. If Akane and Shampoo could become friends with each other, perhaps he could form some degree of friendship with Ranma. He was excellent for continually testing his skills, after all.

"Friends? Akane want to be friends with Shampoo?"

"Yes, I do. We can spar, talk about how much of an idiot Ranma's been, or just hang out and talk. You must be somewhat lonely just having your grandmother and Mousse to talk with."

Shampoo dried her eyes and gave Akane a nod. "Shampoo accept Akane's friendship. Must need someone to rant to about Ranma…. Stupid boy."

While Akane was talking with Shampoo and Mousse, Cologne was observing the three of them. She was quite pleased with the girl's initiative and compassion for her granddaughter. Perhaps she should offer to train the girl as she had been considering. If she fought beside Ranma as an equal, there'd be very little they couldn't face. If the tribe could keep them as allies, perhaps their children might find their own matches there, thus ultimately strengthening the tribe. Yes… she suspected that the long term gains of an alliance would better suit the Joketsuzoku.

"Well, young man, do you think we have an agreement? Shall we name you and yours as friends and allies to our tribe? It would mean that I can offer you further training, as well as shelter in our village should it become necessary. All that we would require from you is your assistance when requested, and perhaps one of your future children."

"Wait, what? No way can I promise that!"

"It was a joke, child. Though we would welcome them if you sent them to us for training. "

Ranma had to admit, the old woman had him right where she wanted him. He had no reason to refuse her offer, especially since she was offering more training, for both himself and Akane.

"Alright, Elder… I accept." Since Cologne was addressing him more respectfully, it was only fair that he return the same level of respect. Besides, she had been the one to teach him his signature techniques, and part of him was wondering how much more he could learn from her.

"Wonderful." Cologne was already heading over to join Shampoo, Mousse and Akane, so Ranma walked with her. "You have been a pleasure to teach, Ranma, and now I can teach you so much more, if you are willing to learn it."

Cologne sat down beside Shampoo, and Ranma took a place beside Akane. No one was surprised when she reached out and took his hand. Shampoo had let go of Mousse's hand and was eating her ramen, and soon everyone else joined in. Ranma was talking about some of the things he had experienced prior to falling into Jusenkyo, while Shampoo and Mousse spoke about growing up in their village. Even Akane had a few stories to share about the trouble she and her sisters got into while growing up, but by far, the most interesting person at the table was Cologne. Her 100+ years gave her remarkable insight, as well as a few stories that would be unbelievable from anyone else.

Ranma and Akane certainly did not expect that they'd be talking so civilly with the Amazons who had given them so much trouble in the past, but forging new friendships always has a way of healing past rifts.

* * *

Later that evening, after they returned home, Ranma found himself called into the dojo by Akane's father. His mother and father nodding at him as he entered. Evidently, they knew this was going to happen. He was half expecting to be knocked out to find himself waking up in another tuxedo, but it would seem that Soun just wanted to show him something.

"Come in, Ranma. It is time I taught you something of the Tendo school. This technique has been passed down from father to son in the Tendo family for three hundred years. I am forbidden from teaching it to any of my daughters, so I must teach it to you, so that you may teach it to your sons."

"A technique of the Tendo school? Alright! That sounds great!" Ranma did not ignore the significance of the whole 'father to son' aspect of the technique, but he refrained from commenting on it, lest he find himself forced into another wedding before he and Akane were ready.

"You must promise me that you will only use this technique in desperation. It will likely save your life. If you use it at any other time, you ***will*** suffer dire consequences…. Are you willing to accept the risks involved?"

Ranma nodded enthusiastically. A Tendo desperation technique had to be better than the Saotome version. Running away to come up with a better idea worked, but it was so damn embarrassing. Ranma never liked running away, even if it was the best option at the time.

"Yes, I am willing. Teach me this technique."

"I warn you - this technique cannot be used on a male opponent. Are you sure you wish to learn this technique? There is no shame if you refuse."

"Yes. I wish to learn this technique."

"Wonderful. The technique is called "Smoke of a Thousand Fires". When a great forest burns, the smoke can create a rainstorm that extinguishes the fire. That is the basis of this technique. It disrupts and extinguishes the flames of your opponents anger."

"Wow. Sounds like this would be really effective against Akane…"

"She does get her temper from her mother. In fact, this technique helped me win her heart. Ah, those were glorious days…." Soun interrupted his nostalgia with a cough. "Anyway, it requires very precise timing. If you fail, you will actually heighten her anger."

"How do I know how to time it."

"Do you recall when Akane hit you with the table the first time?"

"Vividly."

"If you had used this technique as soon as she lifted the table over her head, you would have timed it correctly."

"Okay.. .so basically, as soon as the attack is committed to?"

"Correct." Soun couldn't wait to see what happened the first time Ranma tried this technique on Akane.. Even if he tried it on Nabiki or Kasumi, it wouldn't have as dramatic an effect.

"So what's the next step in the technique?"

"It is a simple phrase, enhanced by your ki. Much like the opening move of the Yama-Sen-Ken."

"And this isn't a sealed technique?"

"Technically, it is, as I haven't used it in years."

"Heh." Ranma snorted. "Alright, what's the phrase?"

Soun laughed heartily as he told Ranma. [7]

* * *

[1] - This is probably the single most important equation one can find in life - most don't solve it in time, though.

[2] - I've never thought of Nabiki as just greedy, more that she's not quite figured out that there's more to life than money and comfort.

[3] - Quoth the Doctor: "Good men don't need rules. Today's not the day to find out why I have so many."

[4] - See? There are words for it. That is almost exactly what love feels like, in my experience.

[5] - If you think about it, being able to relive moments from someone else's perspective would be quite the learning experience - especially when you were already there.

[6] - We'll never give an answer to this… honest.

[7] - I know, I know, I'm mean… trust me, you'll see this coming.


	3. Deception

Chapter 3: Deception

 _"All Warfare is based on deception"_ Sun Tzu, **The Art of War**

 _"War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend."_ J.R.R Tolkien, **The Two Towers**

With Ranma called into the dojo by her father, Akane found herself ganged up on by Nodoka and Kasumi. Evidently, they wanted to help her in her bet with Ranma. To that end, they brought her into the kitchen and sat her down in front of a pile of cookbooks. With instructions to find a recipe that would fit Ranma's taste in food, Akane relished the challenge before her. Ranma was the sort of person who would eat nearly anything… assuming it was cooked by someone other than herself. It stood to reason then, that she'd want to find something that could be passed off as being prepared by someone else. If he didn't know she cooked it, he'd dig into it as soon as it was set in front of him.

"Auntie Saotome, did Ranma have any favorites growing up that I could learn to make?" Akane figured that one of his childhood favorites could easily be passed off as something made by his mother. She didn't like tricking him like that…. Well, maybe a little, but he brought it on himself,for insulting her cooking like he always did..

"Why, yes, there is. He loved a mushroom saute I used to make. It shouldn't take too long to prepare, and we can have it with tonight's dinner. We'll help you with each step." Nodoka could tell what Akane was up to, and was glad to help. If Ranma could genuinely compliment a dish Akane had made, it would go a long way towards improving her performance in the kitchen… but he'd never do that if he knew she had made it before he tried it. Besides, her son was an idiot where the girl was concerned, so it was always entertaining when he hoist himself on his own petard.

"We'll need to find some proper mushrooms, though. I haven't had a chance to go to the market today, so I'm not sure what we have available." Kasumi interjected.

"We have some mushrooms, Kasumi, there's a patch growing out by the koi pond that look pretty good." Akane had seen them starting to grow just before Ranma had left for China and that whole adventure began. "I know you'll have to take a look at them to know for sure, but if they're edible, why don't I use those?" [1]

"That would save some time. Why don't I go and take a look while you get the rest of the ingredients for Akane?" Nodoka suggested, to Kasumi's agreement.

Nodoka left Kasumi and Akane alone in the kitchen as they began gathering the necessities of dinner. Kasumi had been waiting for a moment like this, to have a chance to ask her sister about what had happened between her and Ranma in China. They had both been rather quiet about it at home, but she suspected that part of their reticence about discussing it had to do with a pair of fathers.

"Akane? Can we talk while we work?"

Akane smiled brightly at her sister. "Of course, Kasumi. What did you want to talk about?"

Kasumi sighed, as this might not be an easy conversation. "China. You and Ranma have been quiet about what happened there. I imagine you haven't wanted to alarm Father or Auntie Saotome?"

Akane froze slightly. She had known this conversation would come, and hated that the fact that she had very nearly died in Ranma's arms would worry Kasumi. Still, if there was one person in her family who would understand, it was Kasumi.

"Kasumi… you have to understand… some of this is hard to talk about. I've told Sayuri and Yuka some of it, and I know Ranma has discussed it with his friends, but talking about it here, with my family? I don't want to scare you, Kasumi, but I almost died there in Ranma's arms. He was absolutely convinced I was. That was actually what his nightmare was about, me never waking up."

Kasumi was shocked. She had never really considered that the possibility existed that Akane could never return from one of the adventures she found herself drawn into with Ranma, so this was a little bit of a rude awakening.

"Oh, Akane… no wonder he went to your room last night, he must've been so worried."

Akane nodded. Ranma's dream was his business, as well as the current fears he was fighting. That Ranma was possibly becoming afraid of himself was new to her, but she trusted him to figure it out. If he didn't, she'd knock some sense into him, anyway.

"When I was taken, I was brought to Jusenkyo. They had dug a new spring, and chased me into it. Then, one of them used the spring to take on my form in order to trick Ranma. Apparently it worked. I found myself in a cell, but was able to escape. During my escape, I ran into the guide from Jusenkyo, who explained what I needed to do to help Ranma. I had to turn a magical tap, but doing so evaporated the water in my body…. I was basically a doll after that, but I could still hear what was going on around me. In order to restore me, Ranma had to immerse me in cold water from the other tap. He ended up fighting for me, not for his cure, because to run these taps, Jusenkyo had to be drained."

"He had to choose between you and his cure, then?"

Akane shook her head. "No… actually, he completely forgot about the cure, and was focused on saving me."

"How could you know that?"

Akane smiled, remembering the warmth and depth of Ranma's emotions she had experienced from his own eyes.

"When we were at the Nekohanten today, Cologne had him use an artifact that showed us everything that happened from his perspective. I was right… he did say he loved me like I thought… and now I know just how much."

Nodoka came back in with a basket full of mushrooms. "These should be ideal, Akane. They look like they'll be quite filling." She noticed that Kasumi was smiling at Akane. "Oh, did I miss something?"

Akane answered. "Kasumi just wanted to know what happened in China. Has Ranma mentioned anything about it to you?"

"No, he hasn't yet. I don't believe he's going to discuss it anytime soon. Genma's kept his mouth shut, but seeing as it's mostly Ranma's story to tell, it's not surprising."

"Don't worry. I think Ranma will talk to you about it eventually. He's being male about it, certainly, but I think he's starting to figure it out" [2]

Nodoka stared at Akane. Who was this girl, and what had she done with the temperamental tomboy her son had fallen for? Did something more happen between them? What could've made her so open?

"What were you two up to today, Akane?"

"Well, on the way to school, Shampoo told us that her great-grandmother wanted to speak with Ranma, and invited us to the Nekohanten after school. Cologne wanted Ranma to show her what happened, so she had him use a magic artifact that showed us what happened at Jusendo from his perspective."

Akane started cutting up the mushrooms as she talked. She was unaware that she was doing it any differently than she had in the past, but that was because she was distracted by the subject of discussion.

"It showed the battle from his eyes, but it also showed what he was thinking at the time,.emotions and all. I know how he feels now." Akane's smile had never been brighter as she thought about what she had experienced. In effect, she had shared Ranma's soul for a brief time, something that very few would ever understand.

Akane looked down at the pile of mushrooms she had chopped. She wondered how she finished so quickly. Now it was time for the next step.

"Auntie Saotome, I have the mushrooms chopped. What's the next step?"

"Well done, Akane, these will cook up very nicely. The next step is to prepare the pan and seasonings. You'll need these." Nodoka placed a few spices and a bottle of oil on the counter beside Akane. She also offered some advice to her future daughter-in-law. "If you know how he feels, why not tell him how you feel? That might make it easier for him to open up to you."

"It's not about him being open with me, it's more about him being open with himself." Akane hesitated, as she wasn't sure she understood what he was dealing with but even with her doubts, she'd try to help him as best she could. "Ranma had to kill to save me. While it turned out that he was fighting an immortal, it still cost him. He is becoming afraid of himself, and I don't know how to help him."

"Then fight for him. All he'll need is for you to be there when he needs you most. If you can be an anchor for him, he'll find his way. Now, be careful with the mushrooms, keep a close eye on them. You'll know they're about done when they are soft in the middle "

Akane followed the directions she had been given, and soon the kitchen was filled with the smells of dinner. If there was one thing guaranteed at the Tendo Dojo, it was that the scent of food would always summon a male Saotome. [3] It wasn't long until Genma poked his head into the kitchen to ask how long it would be until dinner was ready. Upon seeing Akane working on the mushrooms, his eyes widened, and he left hastily.

* * *

When it came time for dinner to be served, Ranma was already sitting at the table, looking slightly nervous. When the rest of the family came in, and Akane sat down beside him, he flinched slightly. Only the parents noticed, and they each grinned subtly. If Ranma had any idea of the trick they had played on him, he'd probably run as far away as possible, but seeing as he remained as clueless as ever, dinner proceeded more or less normally. At least, it did until someone opened his mouth and said the wrong thing at the right time for all the right reasons. (Ranma. Who else would it be?)

"Hey, these mushrooms taste exactly like I remember, Mom! Thanks!" Ranma was quite glad for a taste from his childhood.

Nodoka smiled at her son. "Oh, I didn't make them, Ranma. Akane did, using my recipe."

Ranma had just taken another large bite of the mushrooms, and slowly swallowed (rather nervously, really) as he turned to look at his fiancee, who was smiling at him. "You cooked these?" He was trying to sound complementary, but the subtle twitching of fear in his eyes made it seem like he was in disbelief. As a result, he was unintentionally stumbling blind into a potential minefield.

Akane nodded. "Uh-huh. Auntie Saotome is a great teacher." She took a bite of them herself, and was surprised that it tasted exactly the way she expected.

"Hey, these ***are*** good!"

Ranma was amazed. Akane actually just tried some of her own cooking, something she rarely had done before serving it. Unfortunately, his sense of amazement did not transfer to his mouth. "So you actually ***can*** cook with proper supervision. That's great, Akane." He was being completely honest, but Akane only heard sarcasm.

She glared at him. "What on earth do you mean by that?"

Ranma attempted to backtrack, but his mind was a slow motion trainwreck, as he said exactly what he was thinking as it came into his mind. "Your food's usually bad enough that I think you've been trying to poison me for the past two years."

Akane's eyebrow twitched, and she began to manifest her battle aura. The table was quickly cleared as she moved to thwack Ranma over the head with it. But as soon as she was committed to the attack, Ranma looked at her with a smile and said words she never would've expected him to say. He said the words that Soun had taught him with as much focus and clarity as he could muster. This being his first attempt at using technique, he was only interested in seeing how effective it was. If his teacher was correct, Akane's anger should abate, and she'd calm down. He was of course, completely and utterly in the dark about how it would really work. It would only make her even more angry at him... but that was the entire point of the technique. Anger and passion are very closely related emotions, and the whole purpose of the technique is to redirection of one into the other.

"Gee, Akane, you're really cute when you're angry."

Akane slowly and calmly put the table back down in its place and meekly smiled at Ranma. This was clearly not her natural sort of smile, this was the sort of smile that was the harbinger of terrible, terrible doom. [4] Ranma was totally oblivious to this, and just smiled back. Genma, on the other hand, knew exactly what was about to happen. He offered Ranma some useful advice for the first time in many years. "Run, you fool boy, **RUN!** "

Ranma blinked, looked at Akane and saw the look in her eye. He then did a truly remarkable thing. He actually listened to his father, and ran for his life. Nodoka quietly offered the Saotome family blade to Akane, which she gleefully accepted before chasing after Ranma, merry mayhem in her eyes. "Come back here, you jerk!"

Nabiki and Kasumi were in befuddlement before Genma, Soun and Nodoka started laughing.

"I can't believe he actually went and did it. That was beautiful." Soun was nearly crying from laughing so hard. "I didn't think it would be so easy to trick him like that."

"What did I tell you, Tendo? The boy has a clear blind spot when it comes to girls, so it's an easy way to trap him. He seemed so enthusiastic about learning something from you, he never even considered it's true purpose." Genma was pleased to see the plan they had put together working so well.

Nodoka nodded. "When you told me what you had in mind, I had my doubts, but that worked perfectly."

Nabiki and Kasumi looked at each other, and then shrugged. Chances are this was yet another attempt to manipulate Ranma's relationship with Akane for some purpose. It had been pretty funny that Ranma would think it was a good idea to try calming Akane's anger like that.

Nabiki had to ask, because it would continually irk her if she didn't know what was going on in her own home. "What the hell was that about? She may actually kill him this time."

Soun chucked. "No, she won't. Look." He pointed to where Akane was coming back in dragging a catatonic Ranma by the pigtail behind her.[5] She was smiling slightly. Depositing him back at the table, Akane sat down to finish eating. Once she finished, she left the table and went up to her room, stepping over Ranma's semi-conscious form on her way out. She glanced backwards at him with a slight shake of her head before going up the stairs and shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Composing himself as he came out of it about ten minutes later, Ranma sat up and glared at Soun. Everyone else had already left to do other things, but Soun and his mother remained expecting this conversation.

"What kind of martial arts technique was that? It didn't even work! She cornered me in the dojo and, uh…." He blushed.. "She hugged me." He had been convinced that she meant him serious bodily harm, instead she just gave him a tight hug. He had essentially passed out from shock.

"Of course it's not a martial arts technique, son… it's for the marital arts. If you don't learn how to read emotions correctly, you're in for a terrible time. It's something you'll need to know when the two of you are married. If I hadn't learned it before having three daughters, I don't think I'd have ever survived."

Ranma's jaw dropped wide open. "You… you… tricked me? Why?!"

"Because you are only just starting to figure some things out, my son. This should give you what you need to find your way." Nodoka answered. "We don't doubt that you and Akane are starting to solidify your relationship, but you can't expect her to always be willing to tell you how she feels about things."

Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can't believe this…. Why would you even go along with this, Mom?"

"Because it's one of those little things you're better off learning before you're married instead of figuring it out afterward. The two of you really need to work on your ability to communicate with each other."

"But….." Ranma began to realize the futility of arguing with his mother on the subject of romance, mainly because he really didn't want to get to the point where she was offering helpful 'suggestions'. Instead of finishing his thought, he excused himself, went outside and jumped up to his preferred thinking corner on the roof.

Reaching into a small space between shingles, he pulled the book Akane had given him from its current hiding spot and began to read. She had been right about him finding it interesting, as he'd been reading it here daily since she had given it to him. He was especially fascinated by how similar some of the ideas he had found in the book were to the central tenets of Anything Goes. It would seem that this Sun Tzu had embraced the concept of opportunistic flexibility. He idly wondered if his father had ever read this book, and decided that it was probably likely given the similarities.

It being a pretty short book, even with the added commentaries, he was reading through it for the fifth time. If anyone had asked him why he was reading the same book so many times, he would not have given a totally truthful answer. While he was reading it because he found it interesting and potentially useful, the real reason was that Akane had given it to him, and she had written a few notes to him inside of it. So here he was reading less of the actual text of the book, and more of the notes and comments written in Akane's hand.

He was especially struck by the comment she had written after a couple of passages that discussed strong and weak points. Sun Tzu had written: _"Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances"_ , and in the margin Akane had noted: **'You can't win every fight with the same move.'** He had to admit, when fighting Saffron at Jusendo, he had relied on the Hiyru Shoten Ha almost too much. Just how close he came to losing that fight is something he found himself dwelling upon from time to time. Perhaps it was time to learn a few new techniques, or improve upon some older ones. His father's sealed techniques were exceptionally powerful, but was he capable of coming up with something of his own that could match or surpass them? That, he supposed, would be quite the challenge.

He put the book away, and climbed down from the roof to knock on Akane's window. When she opened it, they looked at each other for a moment before Ranma said anything.

"Can you join me on the roof? I wanna talk to you." The roof was probably the best place to talk about what he had in mind without being interrupted.

Akane smiled and nodded. "Sure, I just need to finish my homework first…. You have gotten yours done too, right?"

Ranma shrugged. "I have a little bit left. I'll do it before going to bed." He found he did better doing it in a last minute scramble anyway.

Ranma went back to his usual place on the roof, and Akane shut the window behind him. He stretched out and relaxed, looking up at the sky until he saw Akane's shadow being cast over him. "Hey, 'kane." He turned towards her and smiled as he sat up, letting her sit down beside him.

"I've been reading the book you gave me, and I appreciate the comments you wrote into it. They've given me something to think about. Out of all my techniques and tricks, I don't think I really have any I've developed myself."

"What about your Moko Takabisha? Didn't you develop that one after figuring out that Ryoga's Shi Shi Hokodan wasn't going to work for you?"

"I suppose you could look at it that way, but I didn't come up with that one from scratch, I had something to base it on."

"I hate to suggest it, but maybe you could ask your Dad about how he developed his sealed techniques. He might actually be able to help you."

"Well, I'm certainly not going to ask the old freak. What about Cologne? She's probably the best person to ask, and I could probably get Shampoo and Mousse to help out as well." Ranma was quite certain that he'd be able to get help from the Chinese Amazon contingent, given the recent accord they'd reached. The fact that Cologne would have a chance to show up Happosai in helping Ranma reach mastery of the art would be an added bonus to them.

"She might be your best bet, but do you even have an idea for one yet?"

"Nope. I know I basically specialize in improvisation and adaptability, but I think I need to come up with something that'll work in multiple ways. Maybe another ki technique, or perhaps a new combination of stuff I already know."

"Like what, combining the Hiryu Shoten Ha with the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken?"

"Would that even work? I mean, really….." Ranma trailed off. Akane had just given him an interesting idea. He didn't know if it would be possible, but seeing as he had always just triggered the Hiryu Shoten Ha with a single punch, the possibility of creating multiples had never quite occurred to him. He was going to need help. "I think you may have given me an idea. I'll see if Cologne can help me figure it out."

"I think we can stop by the Nekohanten tomorrow after school and ask. I guess you're going on a training trip this weekend?"

"Either this weekend or the next, yeah." Ranma was looking forward to a brief escape from the madness inherent to Nerima. The fact that Akane would be coming with him just meant that they'd have a chance to be themselves without any added pressure. He should've known better than to tempt fate, even in his thoughts. "What, what do you mean, *I'm* going on a training trip? I thought you'd come with me."

Akane just laughed at the look on his face. "Is that your way of asking?" She was leaning closer to him, looking him in the eyes.

"I, uh… I," Ranma was distinctly uncomfortable with how close Akane was getting to him, and why was she starting to close her eyes? For that matter, why was he leaning closer to her? "Yeah… did you want to come with me?"

"Of course I do, Ranma." She kissed him, and was surprised at the strong tingling sensation she felt in her lips. Ranma was even more surprised when she kissed him, because it wasn't just his lips that were tingling, it was his entire body. Actually, it was feeling more like he was on fire. His whole body just hurt, and he leaned back out of the kiss and grabbed his stomach, which felt as if it had just been tied into a bowtie and then wrung out to dry. He started groaning.

Akane was quite concerned… she didn't think this was a normal reaction to being kissed.

"Ranma? What's wrong?"

"Stomach….. it hurts… urgh…. I knew I shouldn't have eaten your cooking!" Ranma was writhing in pain, but the remarkable thing is it looked like he was shrinking…. Actually, he was shrinking. As Akane watched, unable to do anything, Ranma shrank into his clothes, groaning and shrieking in pain. Akane lost sight of him when his clothes grew too big for his body, so once he stopped shrinking, she dug through them until she found him. Ranma was no longer a young man, he had somehow become a baby of indeterminate age. She picked him up and wrapped him in his shirt to give him at least some remaining dignity. Everyone else had already gone to bed, so she went back inside and knocked on the door to the Saotome's room.

"Auntie Saotome? We have a problem…." [6]

[1] - At least she knows better than to eat random mushrooms off the ground… look at what happened to Ryoga when he did that… this was terrible foreshadowing on my part. Sorry.

[2] - By this, I mean keeping his emotions to himself until he understands or can control them.

[3] - Usually Ranma, though some foods were more likely to get Genma's attention.

[4] - Receiving this sort of smile is essentially the same as being marked for death.

[5] - Akane's probably the only one who'd get away with doing that, other than perhaps Nodoka.

[6] - An understatement among understatements, but still semi-normal for Nerima.


	4. How to Raise Your Fiance (Part One)

Chapter Four: How to Raise Your Fiance (Part One)

A/N: The baby Ranma idea is one that may not seem like it fits with this story, but it had enough potential to be funny that I went with it. If anyone wants to run with it, go right ahead.

 _To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken._ \- C.S Lewis

 _In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity._ Sun Tzu - ** The Art of War**

Nodoka got up to open the door to see what problem Akane seemed so worried about. Genma was still sound asleep, but he was shifting about somewhat, as if he wasn't quite comfortable. Akane was rocking back and forth on her heels, more worried than she had been in most of the crazy circumstances she had found herself in with Ranma. This was going to be difficult to explain.

"Akane? What's the matter?" Nodoka spoke before she had opened the door, and her voice trailed off into silence as she took in the sight of Akane holding a fidgety baby that looked an awful lot like Ranma. When struck with the sudden realization that she might just be a grandmother, she nearly fainted, catching herself on the door frame. "Where did that baby come from? And where is Ranma?"

"He is Ranma! I swear, we were on the roof talking about a possible training trip… I kissed him after he invited me to come with him, and he suddenly ended up like this! I don't know what happened!"

"Ranma?" Nodoka was leaning close to address the baby in Akane's arms. Immediately he reached up for her and smiled, letting out a quiet giggle. "Good, he recognizes me." Nodoka took him into her arms, and went to sit down. Akane followed her. Nodoka quickly checked over Ranma, and she confirmed her suspicions that it was in fact him. "This is definitely Ranma. He's got the same birthmark. Here, look."

Akane looked at where Nodoka was pointing. It was small, so she wasn't surprised she hadn't noticed it before when she had seen Ranma without his shirt on. It was right in the middle of his left shoulder, just a small light spot, but enough to be an identifying mark. As Nodoka was holding him, Ranma was quickly falling asleep. Akane couldn't help but watch as his eyes drooped and his breathing slowed.

"What do we do? This is weird, even for Ranma." Akane was at a loss. Her fiance was an infant! The obvious assumption that people would inevitably make had yet to occur to her, namely, that Ranma was his own secret love child with Akane. "I think we need to call in an expert."

"Doctor Tofu?"

"I was thinking of Shampoo's great-grandmother, Cologne. Doctor Tofu might be able to help, but I think Cologne might be more knowledgeable about this sort of thing. We should probably call them both. I'll call the Nekohanten, could you call Doctor Tofu?"

Ranma had finally fallen asleep in his mother's arms. She looked down at him, and nodded to Akane. "I can do that. Hopefully we can find a way to fix this… or I'll end up raising my son all over again."

Akane picked up the phone and dialed the Nekohanten. It rang three or four times before a sleepy voice answered. "We closed now. Why you call so late?"

"Shampoo! Something's happened to Ranma! We need your grandmother's help!"

"Akane? What happen to Ranma?"

"Both of you get here as soon as possible - this is easier to show you than to explain."

Nodoka was finishing her own conversation with Doctor Tofu as Akane returned. "Yes, Doctor - he seems healthy enough, so he should be fine until the morning. Thank you."

She turned to Akane and explained that Doctor Tofu would not be available until the next morning due to an urgent test being needed for one of his patients. In the meantime, they were to keep an eye on Ranma to determine if his mind regressed as well as his body. Cologne would likely have an idea as to what exactly happened, and if her ancient amazon wisdom could direct them to a solution, even better. For now though, Ranma was virtually defenseless. Where Ranma had been the one to protect Akane before, now she would have to do the same for him. It would be an interesting test for her future daughter-in-law.

Fifteen minutes later, Cologne, Shampoo and Mousse arrived. Akane wasn't quite sure what Mousse would be able to do to help, but Shampoo would at least be another familiar face for Ranma, and that might keep him calm. Cologne was taken aback at the sight of the baby being held in Akane's arms.

"Well, you and Ranma have certainly moved quickly…. He looks so much like his father." She joked.

Akane stammered in embarrassment before she realized the joke. Nodoka just smiled. Cologne had no idea that Genma actually did look more like Ranma when they first met. If he still had his hair, the resemblance would be even stronger.

Cologne laughed at the look on Akane's face. "Yes, child, I can tell that child is Ranma, so don't be blaming an old woman for having a little fun."

Shampoo was leaning close looking at the sleeping Ranma. "He so cute! Can Shampoo hold Ranma?"

Akane fought down a flare of possessive jealousy, and gently handed him to Shampoo. Since she had called in the Amazons, it would be rude to refuse. Waking anyone else in the house could wait until they had a better explanation for what happened. It just seemed that if there was anything to do with magic in Nerima, Ranma would always be caught in the middle of it.

Cologne watched Akane for a moment before speaking. "Tell me what happened to him."

Akane's face fell. As much as the new accord they had reached with the Amazons would make life easier for her and Ranma, she was hesitant to reveal the circumstances of his change. The fact that Ranma needed the help made her decision for her.

"We were talking on the roof after dinner. He was planning on taking a training trip either this weekend or the next, and he invited me to come with him." She blushed a little before continuing. "I kissed him, and the next thing I knew, he was grasping his stomach in pain, and then he shrank into this baby!"

"Did he say anything?"

"Well, he did blame my cooking…"

Shampoo was not surprised to hear that - Akane's cooking could rival any of the potions or poisons known to the Joketsuzoku, but she had never heard of any potion that could cause something like this. "Did Akane cook anything?"

"I did do some sauteed mushrooms, but everyone ate them. Thanks to Auntie Saotome, they turned out okay. No one else complained about them."

Cologne's curiosity was piqued. "Do you have any of these mushrooms left? Raw, not cooked. There are some mushrooms in the world that have strange effects when eaten. Perhaps you used some of them."

Realization dawned as Akane looked horrified. "Mushrooms of Time! Ryoga encountered them last spring and was turned into a 6 year old. Some of them grew on his backpack, could they have spread here?"[1]

"It's possible, though they would not have had the same potency as the original. The only one here who needs to worry about such things is Ranma's father. After all, he is the only other one in this house with a Jusenkyo curse. I suspect the mushrooms you encountered at first would've affected anyone, but if it has been several months, the magical potency would be reduced enough to only affect those already cursed. I would have to examine them to be sure."

"Jusenkyo? What does Jusenkyo have to do with mushrooms?"

"The change of form is not the only problem that comes from Jusenkyo. Those who have fallen into one of the springs will always be more affected by magic. Ranma probably never even noticed because of the nature of his life, but I imagine he encountered magic far more often after receiving his curse than he did before. As a martial artist, he would have developed some resistances to magical influences, but his curse will serve as an anchor for such things."

Nodoka's eyes were wide. If Ranma had been affected so severely, what might it have done to Genma. She excused herself for the moment, and went to check on her husband. She returned moments later looking confused. "There does not appear to be anything wrong with my husband. He is still quite asleep. Are you certain that it was these mushrooms? I examined them myself before Akane cooked them, and they seemed completely normal."

The group moved into the kitchen where the few remaining mushrooms sat in the basket Nodoka had used to gather them earlier that afternoon. Cologne picked up a smaller one and called Mousse over. ""Eat this, Mousse."

"Why me?!"

"You have a Jusenkyo curse, and Shampoo is busy at the moment."

Mousse glanced over to where Shampoo was sitting in a chair brushing the hair of the sleeping infant. Akane was sitting nearby simultaneously listening to the conversation, and watching Shampoo.

"Very well." He begrudgingly conceded. He took the mushroom and ate it. There was no noticeable effect. He shrugged and turned to Cologne. She merely looked at him. "Eat another." He did so. "Another."

This went on for a few minutes until there were only a few of the mushrooms left. There not being any clear effect from the mushrooms, Cologne was quite puzzled. Mousse chuckled a little and spoke unwisely. "Something you can't figure out, Old Bat? That's a rarity."

In response to the insult, Cologne whacked him over the head with her cane. Instantly, Mousse collapsed to the floor in pain, noticeably a few inches smaller than he had been moments before.

"That was... unexpected. It would appear that these mushrooms require an external shock to take effect. Such as a blow to the head…. Or perhaps an unexpected kiss?" Cologne turned to look at the now embarrassed Akane. "I suspect this proves my suspicions that the potency of these mushrooms has changed. Now we just need to figure out how to reverse it. That, I believe will require the good Doctor Tofu's expertise."

Akane looked at the now twelve year old Mousse, and then back to Cologne. "Auntie Saotome already called Doctor Tofu. He won't be able to see Ranma until the morning. Are you certain that this will only affect people who are already cursed?"

Cologne's response was to bop Akane over the head with her cane. Aside from a brief flare of pain, nothing else happened. "Does that answer your question, child?"

"I suppose so." Akane was rubbing the spot that had been hit to ease some of the pain. "Is there anything we can do to help him, at the moment?"

"Not as such, no. For the time being, Ranma is essentially what he appears to be. A helpless infant. Perhaps Doctor Tofu may have some insight, but all we can do is wait. We shall return to the Nekohanten for the night, but will meet you at his clinic, after you have a chance to consult with the doctor."

Nodoka took the sleeping Ranma from Shampoo, and made her own suggestion. "We'll call you when we're leaving for Doctor Tofu's clinic, but for now, we'll set up a crib in Akane's room. Fortunately, I saw one in the attic."

"Why in my room? He's still Ranma. I don't know if he actually thinks he's a baby or if it's just his body that's changed like last time."

"Even if his mind is the same, he's virtually defenseless like this. Your room is the safest place for him. Besides, it'll be good practice for you in the future."

Akane was rather embarrassed by the implication Ranma's mother was making, but she couldn't dispute that Ranma needed her the most at the moment. She really had no choice but to agree. She hesitatingly nodded. "Okay, we'll set him up in my room so I can keep an eye on him - but I don't know how to take care of a baby."

"Don't worry, Akane, I'll teach you all you'll need to know. You'll have to miss school in the morning though, so we can meet with Doctor Tofu and get this sorted out. You can probably go back after we see him."

The Amazons gathered their things, and promising to meet them at Doctor Tofu's office in the morning, left the Tendo residence, leaving Akane alone with Ranma and his mother. Nodoka went to get the crib from the attic, and Akane took Ranma with her into her room.

* * *

She sat down on her bed holding her sleeping fiance, and let herself cry. It wasn't fair that have this had happened just when she and Ranma had finally started to understand each other. Ranma had enough trouble to deal with on any given day, and now he was a defenseless infant. If the situation was reversed, maybe things would've been better, but this idle thought sent her down a tangent of imagining what Ranma would be like as a father. She was a little surprised to find that the idea of her and Ranma having children in the future was something to look forward to, but not until they had at least finished their education. She wondered if Ranma had thought about the subject.

"Well, Ranma. Looks like you're mine to take care of until we can fix this. I don't know if you think like a baby, or if it's just your body that's changed, but you will be staying in my room, so don't think you can peek or anything."

Ranma was still sound asleep. Even at his normal age, he could sleep through almost anything that didn't set off his defensive instincts. Akane could probably sneak into his room and… and… why exactly would she want to do that in the first place? Maybe to wake him up so they could talk or something, but if she started sneaking into his room, he'd probably expect she'd let him do the same. She might, if he agreed to a few rules first.

Nodoka returned with the crib, and set it up in front of Akane's desk. She then brought in a blanket, and prepared the crib. Gingerly picking up her son, she placed him in the crib, and then turned to Akane with a smile. "Don't worry. When he was this age before, he had no trouble sleeping through the night. The difficulty came in waking him up. Still is, I believe."

Akane had to grin at that. She had lost track of how many times had she awakened Ranma with a bucket of water or similar methods. This might not be so bad if she wasn't going to be awakened during the night by a crying infant. [2]

"Is there anything I need to know before going to sleep?"

"Probably not. He looks like he's at an age where he can handle solid food, so if he wakes up and is hungry, just come and get me - I know how to make baby food."

It would've been well past awkward for Akane if Ranma wasn't able to handle solid food, so this came as a relief. However, someone was going to have to buy the supplies necessary to care for an infant, and anyone seeing Akane buying such things would have some very pointed questions to ask. Even sending out one of her sisters to buy them would lead to suspicion. The only one who could reliably do such things would be Nodoka herself. After all, she hadn't seen her husband for ten years, it wouldn't be implausible for her to have a second child after being reunited. She paused in thought, that might actually be the ideal solution to this weird situation.

"Akane, do you think you could pretend you are babysitting for me? That this isn't Ranma, but his younger sibling? If you were seen with an infant, the obvious assumption would be that you and Ranma have a child together, and at your age, that would be quite a blow to your reputation, even if people assumed you were secretly married."

Akane goggled at this suggestion. It was as insane as any cockamamie scheme Ranma had ever come up with… Maybe this was something he got from his mother, and not from the panda? She did have a point though. She was still only a child legally, after all, and rumours that she and Ranma had a child together would bring shame to her name. There would be those who would not be convinced by this story, but the truth would be so much harder to believe.

"I could do that, but I'm not sure it would work. Enough people seeing me with him this way will make it hard for them to believe - especially since Ranma won't be able to say anything on his own about it. Besides, all it would take would be for him to be splashed with cold water, and the truth would come out."

"We could always put him into his girl-form and pretend I finally have a daughter."

That was an unexpected suggestion, but then Ranma certainly wouldn't qualify as a man amongst men as a baby, and it would be more fun to dress up a baby girl anyway. Akane laughed. "If we did that, we'd have to take as many pictures as possible. Ranma would be so embarrassed."

"Either way, he's still my son, and your fiance. What do you think we should do?"

The more she thought about it, Akane couldn't argue with the logic of pretending Ranma was his own sibling. It'd protect them both from any shame to their reputations, and would allow them to explain his absence. Even if the child was hers, the idea that Ranma would run off and abandon any responsibility wasn't in his character. It was easier to go with the story Nodoka was suggesting in the long run.

"I think you're probably right. It's better to pretend Ranma's his own sibling rather than explain what really happened. I realize it's not going to stop people from making their own assumptions, but on the face of it, there's no reason to doubt the story, especially if you're the one taking care of him."

"Then that's what we'll do. If anyone asks, this isn't Ranma, this is his baby brother." She paused, trying to think of a name. "We'll call his girl-form Ranko, but like this, he'll be Sota. At least, that's what we'll say when we're around those who don't know. We're going to have to let your family know."[3]

"I can just imagine how Nabiki is going to react. I don't think Daddy or Kasumi will have any difficulty understanding the truth."

Nodoka laughed, imagining that the middle Tendo daughter would probably be very confused until things were explained. Her reaction would be nothing compared to Genma's, she suspected. She just needed to make sure he didn't plan to take him away for another training trip. If she and Genma did have another child, Ranma would be the one to teach them, of that she was absolutely certain.

With Ranma settled in the crib, there was not much else to do but go back to bed and await Doctor Tofu in the morning. Nodoka left with a smile on her face, as this was going to make life very interesting until Ranma was back to his normal self.

* * *

The next morning as the residents of the Tendo Dojo gathered for breakfast, Nodoka and Akane both waited in amusement for the reactions of the other residents. Ranma was currently sitting in Nodoka's lap, with Akane seated beside her. She was feeding Ranma from a spoon as Nabiki entered the room. Akane gave a small wave of greeting to her sister with her free hand. "Morning, Nabiki." What her sister was doing did not immediately register in Nabiki's mind. "Morning, Akane. What's with the…. ?" She trailed off as her brain caught up with what she was seeing. Her eyes went wide when she noticed that not only was Akane feeding an infant that looked suspiciously like Ranma, but that said baby was being held by his mother.

"Huh, wha? A BABY?!" Nabiki mouth was wide open, and she was pointing much like someone out of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Nodoka snickered, as this was exactly the reaction she and Akane anticipated. Akane decided it was probably best to tell her sister before her brain shorted out. "There was a... little magical mishap with Ranma last night."

Nabiki's eyebrows rose. "You're telling me that…. that baby is Ranma?" She blinked slowly before breaking into convulsive laughter. "That'd only happen to him." Given all the other weirdness that had come into their lives since the Saotome's showed up, this was not hard to believe. "How exactly did this happen?"

"It was the mushrooms from last night. Apparently, they were mushrooms like the ones Ryoga encountered last spring… but these were a little different. Cologne said that only those with a Jusenkyo curse would be affected. With the amount Ranma ate, he regressed this far."

"Cologne? Shampoo's great-grandmother? When did you talk to her?"

"She came over last night with Mousse and Shampoo after it happened. I called her because I thought she could help. I guess I forgot to tell you that the Amazons have given up on Ranma… apparently, he's too much of a threat to accept into their village." Telling Nabiki the truth would have to wait, as Akane wasn't quite sure that she could trust her sister with the fact that she and Ranma finally knew where they stood with each other.

Nabiki was flabbergasted. This was unexpected news, but it was in keeping with the available evidence. Things had been downright peaceful the past two days, so news like this significantly changed the odds in her betting pools. She'd been becoming more and more certain that her sister would ultimately win, so this was just more proof towards that end. As she was sitting down, still processing what Akane had just said, the fathers came in. The three of them thought that this should prove to be an entertaining couple of minutes. Genma sat down beside his wife, and Soun took his usual place at the table. A moment or two passed before Genma noticed just what (or who) his wife was holding.

"Uh, Nodoka? Who exactly is that?"

"Don't you recognize your own son, husband?"

"When, uh, when did we have a second son?"

"We do not. We only have one son, Ranma. This happens to be him."

Genma's mind temporarily broke in confusion, and the shock of it triggered the latent magic of the mushrooms. No one really noticed until long strands of black hair emerged from beneath his bandana in a pigtail much like Ranma's usual style. He came back to a proper state of awareness to find everyone staring at him. He reached up to brush his forehead, and froze when he felt something that hadn't been there for the last 6 years.

"Hair? What the hell?! What's going on?" Cluing in in 3…2…1... "Wait a minute! I have hair! **HAHAHAHA! I HAVE HAIR!** "[4] The excitement he felt for having his hair back took priority over the fact that his son was now an infant. Nodoka on the other hand, was looking at her husband (who was now as young as he was when they first married) with little surprise, and a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"You and Ranma have both gotten younger. Apparently, it was the mushrooms Akane made last night that caused it. Because of your curses, you're the only ones to suffer the effects."

"How exactly do you know that?"

"Elder Cologne came by last night after it first happened with Ranma. She figured it out. We have an appointment with Doctor Tofu this morning to take a look at Ranma, and I think it might be a good idea for him to take a look at you."

Soun was looking at the Saotome family with raised eyebrows. Ranma being a baby was unexpected, but his friend suddenly being 15 years younger boggled the mind. Then again, there had been even weirder things happening to his family since they showed up, so he wasn't too concerned - these things had a way of working out eventually. It wasn't really a problem he had to deal with anyway, Ranma's mother could handle it. He didn't think he needed to say anything at this point, anyway.

Kasumi started bringing breakfast out from the kitchen and did not notice that anything was amiss until she sat down. The fact that things just seemed natural to the combined Tendo-Saotome gathering likely had something to do with it. As much as she appeared to be oblivious to some of the things that went on around Ranma, it was more that she had more important priorities than to worry about problems others could solve.

Kasumi looked at the infant in Nodoka's arms, and noted the resemblance to Ranma. The fact that her youngest sister was feeding him was another clue. Clearly, either this was a nephew she had never expected, or something weird had happened again. She knew her sister well enough that she discounted the former immediately as soon as the thought crossed her mind.

"What happened to Ranma, Akane?"

Akane blinked at her sister. She had forgotten that Kasumi could be very quick about putting things together when it mattered. Most of the time, if it was a problem she could help with, she was quick to do so. Since she had clearly recognized that there was a problem, she was probably wanting reassurance that they had a plan to deal with it.

"We shouldn't have used those mushrooms, Kasumi. Apparently, they were related to the ones that made Ryoga and Ranma kids again. Hopefully, this is temporary. Auntie Saotome and I are taking him to Doctor Tofu this morning."

Kaasumi frowned slightly. This wasn't due to her being unhappy with the situation, rather it had to do with the good doctor's unfortunate tendency to lose his mind around her. She was well aware of his attraction to her, but his lack of discipline where she was concerned meant that nothing would ever come of it. If she was being honest with herself, she was slowly being tempted to take a page out of Akane's book and hit him over the head with a table.

"I hope he can help then. A baby being around you would invite all sorts of rumours, especially when he resembles Ranma so much."

Akane nodded. "I know, that's why we're going to pretend this is Ranma's younger brother."

Kasumi approved of this idea. It was logical enough that people should accept it at face value. There was really only one potential issue that might come up.

"That sounds like a good idea, but what if he gets splashed with water? It'll end the ruse right there and people may assume the worst."

Akane was confused. "What do you mean 'assume the worst'?"

"In some stories, aren't curses hereditary?" [5]

Akane blushed as the implication was clear. "Eep! I hadn't thought of that. We'll have to make sure that doesn't happen."

It was at this point Soun had something to say. "I wouldn't worry too much about that, daughters, as there are ways to ensure that people don't get too close of a look. Just make sure that his hair is covered so the colour change isn't seen, and things should be fine."

The three Tendo girls looked blankly at their father. He shifted under their gaze. "What? I can have helpful ideas from time to time. This old man isn't completely useless…"

Genma looked at his friend with amusement. He had no experience with daughters, but even he could recognize that they were bemused with their father, most likely because he had a tendency to be overly emotional, and not very helpful in most situations. Ranma had finished eating, and was quite happily reaching for his father. This was a rather clear indication that his mind had also regressed to that of his physical age. Not having any better ideas, Genma picked him up and balanced him on his shoulders. Looking at the blank stares he was getting from the assembled Tendos, he just grinned in response.

"Don't look at me like that. Ranma loved this as a kid. I actually missed doing this with him."

Ranma started beating his hands on Genma's head like it was a set of bongos. He sighed and rolled his eyes. [6]

"Yeah… he always did that too."

This was too much for Akane. She started laughing at the scene, and soon everyone else joined her. Genma was just as amused as everyone else. When it came time to leave for the appointment, she let Nodoka carry Ranma, while she called the Nekohanten to let Cologne know they were leaving for the appointment.

* * *

The Amazons were waiting for them when they arrived at the clinic. Cologne was balanced on top of her cane, while Shampoo and Mousse stood behind her watching for their arrival. As they approached, the amazons greeted them with a wave, and they all entered as one group. Doctor Tofu had been watching the group, and was intrigued at how civil they were being with each other. The balance had shifted somewhere, and he suspected it had something to do with the now infant Ranma.

Had they arrived a few minutes later, they would've noticed a few Furinkan students walking to school. The speed of rumor can sometimes rival the perceived speed of light, and the fact that Akane Tendo was seen in the presence of an infant strongly resembling Ranma Saotome nearly broke causality. The fact that said infant was being carried by his actual mother was never mentioned.

* * *

[1] - If you guessed this from the last chapter, I have an imaginary cookie for you. Congratulations! I've changed them slightly, but only for ease of storytelling.

[2] - They can be quieter than ninjas. My own niece is really sneaky about waking up. My brother has walked in to check on her, and has found her staring up at him. That's when the noise starts…..

[3] - Yeah, this is a nod to Inuyasha.

[4] - I myself have avoided becoming bald thus far, but this would very much be how I'd react to finding it having grown back overnight..

[5] - This was only implied in a single anime episode, and even then it was in a dream, so I strongly doubt it.

[6] - If Ranma had gotten his hands on a frying pan, he'd probably be using it and going "not the momma, not the momma" instead.


	5. How to Raise Your Fiance (Part Two)

Chapter Five: How to Raise Your Fiance (Part Two)

"A Lie can run round the world before the truth has got its boots on" - **Sir Terry Pratchett** , **The Truth**

" **Maxim 66:** Necessity is the mother of Deception." - **Howard Taylo** r - **Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries**

It's inherent to the nature of rumours that their speed can sometimes work against them. Only a small fraction of the people at Furinkan who heard it accepted the rumours at face value, while the rest at least wanted a degree of proof. This unfortunate consequence meant that Nabiki found herself swarmed by inquisitive students wanting the truth of what they had heard that morning.

By this time the rumour had split into three possible explanations: That Akane and Ranma had a secret love child together, that the child was Ranma's by Kasumi or Nabiki, or that Ranma had a new sibling he'd never mentioned to anyone. Tatewaki Kuno himself was totally convinced based solely on the brief description he had heard that the child was the 'blasphemous spawn of Saotome'. Nabiki had a hard time keeping a straight face when he finally came to her seeking answers.

"Nabiki Tendo, vile rumours abound about thine sister, Akane. Tell me truly, from whence did this accursed child she is said to care for come?"

"Why, Kuno-baby, it should already be obvious that the child you ask about is a Saotome. For 10000 yen, I'll tell you all I know." She was about to clarify and tell him the truth about Ranma's current problem before Kuno's bombastic nature interrupted.

"Then it is indeed as I feared. Saotome has forced thine sister to bear his child and then abandoned her. Such a grave dishonour cannot stand. If I find him, I shall slay him, freeing thine sister and the pigtailed girl from his vile clutches. I shall adopt her child into the Kuno family and raise it as my own. Her honour shall be avenged."

Nabiki found herself wondering what exactly Ranma's reaction would be to such an idiotic claim. If there was anything left of Kuno after he got through with him, Akane would probably finish him off. Kuno's eccentricity made it quite likely that even Ranma's restoration to his true age would not dissuade him. She'd rather not deal with this in the long term, so against her better judgement, she decided to give him a freebie, and withhold the actual truth until it was advantageous to reveal.

"The child is not a Tendo, of that I am certain. He is the son of Nodoka and Genma Saotome, and he has been entrusted to Akane's care." Nabiki was always very good at half-truths and misdirection, so following the lead Nodoka had given her made things that much simpler. [1]

"Saotome's sibling? Preposterous." Kuno scoffed, doubting the possibility that Nabiki was telling him the truth. After all, such a thing would've been mentioned by one as prideful as Ranma, wouldn't it? Then again, there was no trust between them.

"Be that as it may, I have told you as much of the truth as I know. You are free to doubt it, but the evidence will speak for itself."

Recognizing a dismissal when he heard one, Kuno proceeded to his seat to await the start of classes.

* * *

When Doctor Tofu ushered Nodoka and Ranma into an examination room, Akane waited outside with the Amazons. After a cursory examination of Ranma, he stuck his head out of the door and invited her and Cologne to come inside.

"I have some good news. Whatever happened to Ranma is indeed temporary. While he may essentially be 10 months old, his chi is normal for someone his actual age, so at some point his natural age will reassert itself. The bad news is, I have no idea how long that might actually take. It could be a matter of weeks, or a matter of days. It should not take much longer than a month at any rate."

"A month?!" Akane and Nodoka spoke in unison out of their shock. Cologne was a little more reserved as she observed both the doctor and his patient. She had her own suspicions that she would wait to voice until she had found supporting evidence. If this current trouble for the boy came as a result of an interaction between his curse and the magic of the mushrooms, it was quite likely that it would finally wear off at an inopportune time. Magic seemed to have a sense of humour at times, especially with cursed individuals.

She at least had a few plausible suggestions to make based on her long life experience, at least.

"There are a few things I might suggest trying, pressure points or potions, but I would need some time to research them. If there's a chance for this to reverse itself normally, it might be best to allow it to do so."

Nodoka looked between her son and the Amazon elder, then over to Akane who was leaning over Ranma. As certain as she was that this would pass in time, not knowing exactly how much time it would take made her uneasy.

"Doctor Tofu, If it may take a month for Ranma to be restored to his normal self, is there anything in particular we need to do in caring for him? He was a bit of a handful when he was this age before, so I am wondering if something may have changed."

"Hmmm.. I think it is for the best if you treat him as if he truly is ten months old. Solid food will be enough for him, as I do not believe you need to worry about proper nutrition at this time. His body is likely as strong as it is normally, and that's not considering his muscle memory." He paused thoughtfully, as he considered the potential difficulties that might arise before Ranma was restored. "It is likely going to be quite painful for him when he reverts to his normal age, however."

Akane was a little confused. "Why would it be painful?"

"Puberty in five seconds. " Tofu stated dryly.

Cologne, Nodoka and Akane all looked a little green at the thought of it. Doctor Tofu had a pitious look on his face. Without saying anything, they were all thinking pretty much the same thing. " _ **Ow.**_ " [2]

"I have no further suggestions, beyond making sure he is comfortable. This is hardly the strangest thing to have happened in Nerima, anyway. How are you going to explain this to people?"

Nodoka picked up her son, and cradled him on her shoulder. "I thought it best to pretend that Ranma is his own sibling. People would likely be too quick to assume that he's my grandson, otherwise."

Cologne nodded, but decided she should point out a rather valid concern. "There is a problem you have not considered. The math doesn't work out for him to be truly yours. Those who have an interest in the boy may not overlook this. However, the math does work out for him to be Akane's, at least in theory. Tell me, girl, what happened 19 months ago?"

"19 months ago?" Akane trailed off, as she tried to recall. "I think that was around when Herb showed up, and Ranma was locked into his cursed form." [3]

"That's exactly the point I'm trying to make. Some may even believe that you've been keeping this child a secret for that long. If you think about it, claiming him as your own child would secure your victory. You wouldn't have to worry about any of the others who vie for the boy's heart ever again… and all it would cost is a small part of your honour. Personally, I would call that a bargain. You may not need to make this choice just yet, but if anyone calls the bluff, consider this option."

Akane looked blankly at Cologne, processing the implications of what she was suggesting, before she answered in a way that was far more typical of Ranma than of herself.

"But… I…. er…. We never…. uh…"

Nodoka interrupted, saving Akane from any further embarrassment as she struggled to put words together. .

'You may be correct - but all we need to do is allow for Ranma to return to normal, and then we can just reveal the truth. In either case, if Doctor Tofu is finished with his examination, Akane can get to her classes. I'll take Ranma home."

"Very well then, I will get started on my research. In the meantime, be wary. The boy is vulnerable, and there are still those who would press such an advantage." Cologne did not feel it necessary to mention what she would've done if this situation had developed before they had ended their pursuit of Ranma. She certainly would've included herself in this latter group.

Akane nodded. "He's protected me often enough, I suppose it's only fair I get a turn to protect him. How long will you need for your research, Elder Cologne?"

"If the good doctor will permit me the use of his resources, it shouldn't take overly long."

"That will not be a problem, Elder - you would be welcome at any time. I don't usually have the chance to converse with someone so learned."

"Thank you, Doctor. I will return later."

Cologne left for the Nekohanten, taking Shampoo and Mousse with her. They had been quietly conversing in their native tongue while they waited, and looked somewhat embarrassed when their elder interrupted them.

"Akane, you should make your way to school. I'll take Ranma home, and see if I can get him to nap. I'll also pick up whatever supplies he'll need. I hope you won't be squeamish at the idea of changing some of his diapers."

Akane's eyes went wide, as she hadn't quite realized that would be a necessity until it had been mentioned.

"Relax, dear, I'm only joking, I'll take care of that. He is still my son, after all. I'll drop by later and bring your lunch."

"Thank you, Auntie."

* * *

By the time Akane arrived at school, the first class of the morning had already finished, but a note from Doctor Tofu prevented her from receiving any trouble for her lateness. As far as Miss Hinako was concerned, Akane had just had a standard appointment that morning. As Akane took her seat, she noticed that Ukyo had finally returned to class and was glaring at her. She briefly glared back until Yuka got her attention by poking her in the shoulder.

"Someone saw you go into Doctor Tofu's this morning with a baby in tow. I don't suppose you'd be willing to explain?"

"That explains the look Ukyo was giving me. I'll try to explain at lunch."

"So there's actually something to the rumours?"

"Sort of. It's all a misunderstanding."

Ukyo was livid. She had heard the rumours that were circling that morning, but was prepared to dismiss them as pointless gossip until she noticed that Akane had not been in class that morning. It wasn't until she was drained by Hinako that she realized she had begun emitting her battle aura. Class continued with little interruption after that, but there were more than a few suspicious glances cast towards Akane and Ranma's empty seat from the class.

When lunch finally came around, Akane sat outside with Yuka and Sayuri. The two of them were very quick to pick up on Akane's nervousness. Something had to have happened between her and Ranma last night to make her this tense.

"Alright, Akane. Spill. Something happened with you and Ranma last night, didn't it?" Yuka had noticed that there was something different about the way Akane carried herself. It was almost as if her inner balance had shifted.

"Yeah, Akane. You seem a lot more relaxed than you did yesterday. With everything that's happened to you recently, it just seems a little odd."

"Well…." Akane started to blush. "We were asked to drop by the Nekohanten after school yesterday. Shampoo's great-grandmother wanted to know what happened in China. They had this magic mirror that showed us Ranma's memories of it. I saw everything through his eyes. Even… even the moment when he thought I was dead." She shuddered slightly, then smiled. "There's no way he can deny how he feels now. I know."

Her two friends spoke in unison. "About time."

"So where is he, then? Why didn't he come to school this morning?" Sayuri asked.

"That's a little complicated. I can't explain right now."

"And what about the rumour going around the school? Did you really go to Doctor Tofu's this morning with a baby?"

"I should've known it'd get around the school…. Yes, I did, but no one is going to believe the truth. I'm not the one who should explain, anyway."

Any further questions were answered as a slender red-headed woman came through the school gates and approached them. She was carrying an infant in one hand, and Akane's lunch in the other. "Akane! I have your lunch, and someone insisted on seeing you."

Ranma's eyes were bright as he reached towards Akane. " 'Ane! 'Ane!" Akane reached out to take him, and sat him down in her lap.

Yuka and Sayuri looked between Akane, Nodoka, and the baby now in Akane's lap. "Who is this?! He's adorable! He looks just like Ranma! Is he yours?"

Akane flushed a little to the implications of this last question. "This is Ranma's little brother... Sota, and this his mother, Nodoka."

"Ranma has a baby brother? Cute!"

"Why hasn't he mentioned him before?"

"That's probably because he's got an over-developed protective instinct. Imagine if he had a baby sister…."

Realization dawned as her friends understood what Akane was saying. Ranma was known to be very protective of Akane, so it made perfect sense that the same instinct would extend to other members of his family, except perhaps his father.

"You're quite right about that, Akane dear. Ranma doesn't seem to think clearly when someone he cares about is in danger. After all, he did leap off a cliff to save me when we were finally reunited."

Yuka and Sayuri's eyes were wide at how casually Nodoka mentioned this. Few among Nerima's martial artists had ever stopped to think how the insane adventures they often found themselves swept up would look to the average person. Ranma being such a magnet for trouble just meant that people did not ask many questions after whatever situation he found himself in was resolved.

"That's part of what makes him who he is, Auntie. It's part of what makes him so good at martial arts." Akane was not saying the last part of what she was thinking, namely, that it was one reason she had started to fall in love with him. But such things rarely need to be said when speaking with one who truly understands. It was obvious to Nodoka that Akane loved her son, but was not quite ready for everything it implied. Lasting love requires a degree of fear to be conquered, and she was noticing that Akane was on the verge of overcoming exactly that sort of fear. [4]

Akane's friends were a little surprised at how relaxed she was around her eventual mother-in-law. It would not have been so surprising if they had known that Ranma was sitting in their midst. However, sitting outside with a baby in her lap was tantamount to a public confirmation of the mornings rumours. Ukyo was the first complication to emerge. She was stomping towards Akane with a furious look in her eyes.

"Akane! It's true, isn't it? You went and did it!" She was staring right into the eyes of the infant in Akane's lap and pointing. "You've gone and had Ranma's kid! It's obvious! Just look at him!" She was shouting loud enough to draw a small crowd.

Nodoka cleared her throat, drawing Ukyo's attention, as well as the eyes of those nearby. "I am afraid you are mistaken, young lady. That is ***my*** son. I do not appreciate the insinuations you are making." Nodoka recalled that Ukyo was one of the bevy of girls who had been pursuing Ranma. She was also one of the ones involved in the destruction of her home. As a result, she was not inclined to be kind. She would be civil, as she was aware that Ranma considered the Kuonji girl a friend, but her past behaviour needed to be considered.

"Mrs. Saotome?" Ukyo visibly deflated. The rumours hadn't mentioned anything about her, they had only mentioned Akane and the baby being seen at Doctor Tofu's. If she was here, it was only more likely that what she was saying was the truth. She blinked, before turning to Akane and apologizing. "I'm sorry.. I heard a rumor that you had gone to Doctor Tofu's with a baby in tow. I must've jumped to conclusions. I didn't realize Ranma had a brother. He never said anything."

"And what about my wedding? Are you even going to apologize for that, Ukyo?" Akane spoke much more coldly than would normally be expected from someone with such a warm personality. The assembled crowd began to murmur slightly at this. No one had really considered the possibility that one or both of them were that serious about each other.

"The wedding?.. Er…. I…. uh…. I guess I overreacted."

"Throwing bombs was _***overreacting***_?! Do you have _***ANY***_ idea what you destroyed in your rampage?"

"I'm sorry about the damage to the dojo."

"I'm not talking about the dojo, Ukyo. Ranma's caused far worse damage than that when fighting Ryoga or Happosai."

Ukyo paused. She wasn't sure what Akane was getting at. They had been somewhat friendly to each other since they first met, but their shared interest in Ranma had always gotten the way.

Akane looked Ukyo in the eyes before getting to the point. "The Jusenkyo guide had sent something for Ranma. It ended up being destroyed in the scuffle."

Ukyo dreaded what Akane was going to say next. There was only one possible thing such a gift could've been. She doubted Ranma would ever forgive her if what she feared proved to be true.

"It was water from the Spring of Drowned Boy. Ranma's **CURE**. I have no idea if he'll ever have such a chance again."

Ukyo's face fell. "No.. no… I…. I...didn't…know.. I'm sorry! I didn't know!" Tears came to her eyes as she turned and fled. Akane exhaled sharply. She hadn't meant to be so harsh, but Ukyo didn't know what they had gone through in China yet, and her patience was wearing thin. It was easy to convince Shampoo because she was actually there when everything happened. Ukyo, on the other hand, had still been in Nerima, so missed everything that happened to her and Ranma. Without that shared experience for context, it'd be hard to prove anything to her.

Nodoka blinked as Ukyo left. She had expected a confrontation, but certainly did not expect it to be ended so decisively. Something had to have changed within Akane to make her so clearly determined. The only thing that came to mind was what they had yet to speak of to her. She needed to find out what happened between them in China, but her son would not be able to speak of it for some time. That left asking Akane, and she wasn't sure how willing she'd be to discuss it.

"I didn't want to deal with her like this. She's still a friend… I hope. She wouldn't have done what she did if she had been with us in China. She's not like Shampoo."

"Friends don't blow up weddings, Akane. Are you sure you're okay?" Yuka was quite a bit concerned, as Akane had never been so blunt before. Ranma's personality may be rubbing off on Akane more than she thought.

"I will be, thanks. It's just too much to deal with right now." Akane wasn't happy with how quickly people had jumped to conclusions, but it wasn't surprising. Her relationship with Ranma had been the source of rumours since the very beginning, but since she had finally grown to love him as others believed she did, they had begun to sting.

"Hmph. That girl needs to understand what she did. It is one thing to try to win the heart of a man, it is ***quite*** another to attack a wedding. Don't worry about this, dear, this issue has become a Saotome family matter, and I will deal with it, thanks to the stupidity of my husband." [5]

What Nodoka was not mentioning was that she had already begun thinking of Akane as a Saotome, and had been since she had been reunited with Ranma. She could tell that Akane was a good influence on him.

"Thanks, Auntie."

This was about the time the second and far more frustrating complication of the morning approached. Tatewaki Kuno. The only fortunate thing was that his delusions made it very easy to redirect him, but it also occasionally made it difficult to convince him of anything important.

"Akane Tendo! I come to speak with you on a most dire matter of honour! Do not fear, I have heard of your terrible plight, and have come to your aid. I have heard how the vile Saotome has -"

Kuno was cut off by the sound of steel being drawn. He turned to where Nodoka had begun to draw the family honour blade, and took a startled step back as he noticed a certain resemblance to his beloved pig-tailed girl. Obviously, this must be the mother of his beloved. Ignoring Akane and the infant in her lap for the moment, he mustered his courage and spoke as passionately and reverently as he could, hoping to earn her blessing.

"Forgive me, madam. I did not realize who you were. You simply ***must*** be the mother of my beloved pig-tailed girl. I would date with her, if only you gave your blessing!"

Nodoka noticed that Akane was nodding to the infant in her lap, and given what she had been told previously, it wasn't hard to understand that Ranma was the pig-tailed girl in question. Having been told of this pest by Ranma and Akane just made her improvised response all the more justified in her mind. She just hoped it didn't fall apart like most of her husband's schemes. Then again, his schemes usually had some critical shortcoming that would be obvious to anyone looking at it from the outside.

"I am sorry, young man, but I cannot give my blessing. My child is already affianced to another."

Akane's eyes went wide. What did she think she was doing? Kuno was delusional, but not as stupid as he seemed. What could she possibly be trying to do?

"Affianced!? To whom!? And when!?"

"The Saotome family has two standing agreements - one with the Tendo family, and another with the Kounji family."

"Saotome?! You mean my beloved pigtailed girl is related to that cur, Ranma Saotome?"

Nodoka fixed Kuno with a level, cold gaze. "I am Nodoka Saotome. You insult Ranma in front of me and still persist in seeking my Ranko's affection? She and Ranma are close enough to be of one soul."

Kuno spluttered. He was slowly realizing the trouble he was creating for himself. While his delusions typically limited him to a distorted view of reality, there were some things that could pierce through the veil and cement themselves in his brain. This fact was one of them - Ranma's dislike of him clearly came from that protective instinct all brothers possess. Why, he himself could recall having such an instinct once. His sister being who she was, it was rapidly replaced by a much stronger sense of self-preservation. The fact that Ranma had a twin just meant that said instinct was even stronger. He could not quite fathom why this explanation had never occurred to him before..

The other fact that took hold was that he finally knew the name of his beloved pig-tailed girl. Ranko. It was as flowery and gentle as his beloved ever was. If he could've remembered what Nabiki had told him back when they first met, he might've been able to finally piece together the truth, but where one delusion ends, another may take hold.

"I see. This explains much. I understand that Ranma is affianced to the beauteous Akane Tendo here, so then your Ranko, I assume, must be affianced to one of the Kounji family?"

"Indeed. That arrangement was put in place by my husband several years ago. So you can see, she is not free to date whom she chooses. If you can persuade the Kounji family to release the Saotome family from the arrangement, you may approach her in this regard. If she should reject you at that point, I ask that you respect her decision and leave her be."

 _ **What.**_

Akane was totally confused. It looked like Nodoka was trying to get Kuno to go after Ukyo, but that was ridiculous - not only was there no logical reason she could see to do such a thing, but Kuno knew she was a girl, just as everyone else at Furinkan did. However, Kuno had the sometimes useful tendency to reshape his perception of reality to better suit his delusions. Of course, this was usually compounded by the way Nabiki tended to word things when he asked for information. It was usually the truth, but it was usually a peculiar interpretation of the truth. It was one of Nabiki's most frustrating talents, but Akane didn't know that it was a talent she had inherited from their mother. She just watched silently as Kuno processed what he was told.

Yuka and Sayuri were trying to suppress their giggles at the situation and only barely succeeding. They knew that Ranma was the pigtailed girl Kuno kept chasing after, same as everyone who wasn't a Kuno. Akane did not miss the slight smile on Nodoka's face - it was unmistakably clear that she knew what she was doing. She certainly hadn't expected Ranma's mother to turn out to be more shrewd and manipulative than Nabiki ever had been, but given who her husband was, she supposed it wasn't terribly surprising - how else would she keep control of him? Maybe she could get some advice on controlling Ranma later.

"That sounds like an equitable solution. I recall that there is a daughter of the Kounji family that attends this school, perhaps she might help me contact her family in this matter."

"Perhaps. As I have said, if you can convince the Kounji family to end the agreement they have with us, you may have my blessing to date my daughter provided she agrees."

Words have not yet been invented to describe the look of joy that came into Kuno's eyes, but all three girls were incredibly creeped out. Nodoka was nonplussed. The family style was called Anything Goes for a reason, and she had always wondered why Genma never considered applying its principles outside of combat. What she was doing now was for the good of her son's happiness. She supposed that was one angle Genma never considered, being totally focused on the martial arts. What was it he kept saying? 'A martial artists life is fraught with peril'? Well, she'd just have to show him that shouldn't exclude happiness, and that shared peril is easily conquered. Of course, she was going to have to explain why she was doing this to Akane. That was going to be an interesting conversation.

Kuno nodded in agreement. "Very well then. I shall inform you when I have contacted the Kounji family and addressed this matter." He left in the opposite direction that Ukyo had taken with a noticeable spring in his step.

Nodoka exhaled sharply. She looked at Akane, and smiled. "I apologize for the meddling, but the opportunity just presented itself, and I couldn't resist."

Akane just raised an eyebrow. "You just sent him after Ukyo. Why? He falls in love with any girl who beats him. She's not going to like this at all…" She paused, looking down at Ranma and then back up his mother, "but you did get rid of him. He's a pest, and I really don't like him. Who knows what he was thinking about this?" She gestured to the drooly half-asleep infant in her lap.

Yuka and Sayuri nodded their agreement. "He's a jerk who's way too full of himself."

"Well… that describes almost any boy that age. Wouldn't you say Ranma is full of himself, Akane?"

She looked bashful as she answered simply, "Yes. I don't think he's ever been humble since I've known him." She squeezed the infant in her lap affectionately. "Then again, he is as good as he thinks he is, so maybe it's not arrogance." She blushed slightly and shrugged as she noticed the looks she was being given. "What? He's confident in himself and his abilities."

She took a sip from a bottle of water before continuing. "What was the point of that, anyway?"

"I have already sent a letter to her father indicating my disappointment in her behaviour, and threatened to dissolve the arrangement Genma made. I know you and Ranma consider her a friend, but she has allowed herself to become a threat to the happiness of my son, and anything goes in regards to protecting that. If you hadn't resolved matters with Shampoo yourselves, I'd be taking steps to deal with her as well."

Yuka and Sayuri exchanged glances. They recalled how often Akane and Shampoo were at odds over Ranma - that they had settled their differences and became friends was news to them, but they suspected it had something to do with whatever happened the day before. They were both certain of one thing, Ranma's mother was not what they expected. Akane felt that Ranma's fear of her may have been more justified than he thought. She'd have much to learn from her in years to come - the poor fool wouldn't know what hit him.

"I'd like to think Shampoo and I could've become friends on our own if it wasn't for Ranma. We actually have a lot in common, even without martial arts. Since she and Mousse were both with us in China, seeing everything that happened through Ranma's eyes came as a bit of a shock. She really did love Ranma, but I think she may be realizing what she feels for Mousse."

"That explains why they looked embarrassed this morning. Do you suppose that they'd let me see it for myself?"

Akane's eyes went wide - she wasn't sure Ranma's mother would understand without experiencing it herself, so the suggestion was a sound one. If Ukyo had a chance to see it for herself, it might make resolving things with her even easier. She'd suggest to Shampoo and Cologne that if they had a chance to talk to her, they should let her see it for herself.

"You could always ask. Ranma probably would object, but I think it's a good idea. Since he won't be around to speak for himself for a while, I'll deal with him when he finds out."

Nodoka nodded approvingly. "Thank you, Akane. I don't doubt he'd be unhappy to find out I've literally been in his head… probably the one place a mother should never go, but it would save waiting for him to discuss it."

Yuka and Sayuri looked curious, but they both felt that it wasn't their place to ask. If they were invited, they'd probably agree, but they were more interested in the whereabouts of Akane's fiancee.

"Where is Ranma, anyway?"

Nodoka and Akane shared an aside glance.

"You should probably just tell them the truth. Akane. I'd imagine there are already rumours going around about this. You might find it easier to deal with if you had help."

Akane nodded and poured a small amount of water on the infant in her lap. The change was instantaneous, but it woke the sleeping Ranma with a squawk.

"This isn't Ranma's brother at all. Something happened to him last night, and well….. We took him to Doctor Tofu to see if he could figure out what happened…. He should be back to normal in a month, but… this is going to be interesting."

Yuka's eyes were wide, and Sayuri's jaw had dropped. Even for Ranma, this was weird.

"What could've caused this?"

"Uh… I think I did. Accidentally… I think. He ate some mushrooms I cooked that apparently had some magical properties." She was blushing worse than ever. "I kissed him when we were up on the roof of the house... and, well… I think it was the surprise that triggered it."

"Some surprise. If he remembers, he might just be a little afraid of you." Yuka stated with a smile.

Akane laughed. "You say that like it's a bad thing." [6]

Nodoka smiled and took Ranma from Akane. "It's time for me to head home. Genma and I have plans for this evening, so we won't be joining you for dinner."

Akane nodded, and soon their lunch break ended and they headed back in for their afternoon classes.

* * *

[1] - This would indeed be true, from a certain point of view.

[2] - I don't know what would be worse, the rapid physical pain, or the sudden shift in hormones. Either way, Ouch.

[3] - There is a clear passage of time to the manga, but it's generally handwaved. For the sake of the story, assume that it's the current month. (November, at time of writing)

[4] - Fear, in this case, is not a bad thing. It's the raw gut feeling that comes with learning to trust another person with your whole being. Embracing this feeling is never easy, but what challenge ever is?

[5] - To be fair to Genma though, he was likely thinking with his stomach when engaging Ranma to Ukyo for the Yattai. That sort of thing does make we males morons more often than not.

[6] - Fear leads to a sense of self-preservation. Why else would men be terrified of some simple questions? We know that no matter how we answer we're going to be in trouble.


	6. How to Raise Your Fiance (Finale)

Chapter Six: How to Raise Your Fiance (Finale)

A/N: I feel as if I should explain some things about this story. I'm trying to follow the format of the manga, so it'll simultaneously be a series of story arcs and an overarching narrative. I'm quite honestly not sure how long it's going to turn out to be, as I keep having ideas come to mind. I'm just writing when the mood strikes, but have thus far been able to keep to my goal of updating at least twice a month (Except this month. It's a doubled chapter - I couldn't decide where to split it) This is actually the most I have ever written in a contiguous story, so I'm interested to see how far it goes.

On that note, Happy New Year!

* * *

 _"To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself."_ \- Sun Tzu, **The Art of War**

 _"Love is many things none of them logical"_ \- William Goldman, **The Princess Bride**

Leaving the school that afternoon, Akane saw something she had never quite expected to see - Tatewaki Kuno hanging unconscious from a tree with a rather cross Ukyo storming away. It would seem that there had been some sort of confrontation between them. Akane hoped that it didn't lead to Ukyo being added to Kuno's delusions. As entertaining an idea that would be, she didn't feel what Ukyo had done deserved that kind of punishment. Whatever Ranma's mother intended with her challenge to Kuno, it was probably going to have unforeseen consequences, like any Saotome Scheme.[1] Although, since it would keep Kuno distracted, she was a little torn on how to respond to the subject. As she approached the gates of the school, Ukyo caught up with her.

" Akane! Please wait! I want to talk to you!"

Akane turned and fixed Ukyo with an impatient look. She actually had to focus to keep her foot from tapping on the ground.

"Well, Ukyo? What is it?"

"I'm… I'm sorry. Is Ranma mad about his cure? Is that why he wasn't here today?"

"No… I don't think he's mad about the cure. I'm pretty sure something else would've happened to prevent Ranma from getting it." Akane relaxed a little. Since an opportunity to explain a few things had presented itself, she was going to take advantage of it. Their rivalry over Ranma aside, Ukyo was still a friend, more-or-less.

"What really happened to it?"

"Happosai drank it when the guys were fighting over it. All you and Shampoo did was distract Ranma from getting to it first."

Ukyo was relieved. "So I didn't destroy it myself? He must still be sore about it, though. Why else would he have been avoiding me?"

Akane sighed and looked . "That's not exactly his own choice, Ukyo. He had a little accident last night, and Doctor Tofu thinks he'll be out of commission for a few weeks."

"A few weeks? Did he break something?"

Akane laughed, causing Ukyo to stare at her with some concern. Ranma injuring himself shouldn't be funny… well, most of the time. It usually was pretty funny when he had it coming.

"I suppose you could look at it that way. He seems to fall prone to magic way too often."

Ukyo's eyes widened. "What happened? Did Shampoo get him with a potion again?"

"Actually, it was my fault." She blushed embarrassedly. "I accidentally cooked some mushrooms that had some magic to them. Remember last spring? Ranma and Ryoga ended up as little kids after eating some of them."

With what Akane was saying, and what Ukyo had seen earlier, it wasn't hard for her to figure out what she was getting at. "Ranma doesn't have a brother, does he?"

Akane shook her head. " 'Sota' actually is Ranma. It was his mother's idea to present him as his own brother."

"How come you're not younger? I assume you ate them too?"

"Apparently, being cursed from Jusenkyo makes it harder to resist the effects of magic. The mushrooms only affected Ranma and his father. The effects weren't immediate though, I took a shock to activate. Elder Cologne figured that out when she had Mousse eat some, and then hit him with her staff."

Ukyo was staring at Akane. Getting Cologne to help is not something she would've expected her to do, especially where Ranma was concerned. There had to be an ulterior motive involved.

"Why'd you get Elder Cologne to help? I thought you didn't trust her?"

Akane sighed. Having the Amazons as friends and allies would take some getting used to, but it was certain that there was much she could learn as a result. It had happened so recently, she had forgotten how it might look to those who didn't know.

"That was before she invited us to the Nekohanten yesterday. She wanted to know what happened in China, and asked Ranma to use a magic mirror that would show us everything as it happened through his eyes. It was… an interesting experience. I'm sure she'd let you use it as well. Apparently, it's been used as a training tool for the past few centuries, which is probably why she wanted Ranma to use it." She paused, for a moment, considering the options before her. "She'll probably let you see it for yourself if you ask."

She had decided against mentioning that Shampoo was no longer going to be competing against her for Ranma. That was information Ukyo probably wasn't ready to know… but after seeing the events of Jusendo for herself, she might finally accept Ranma's feelings and back off.

"I might, actually. There's another thing… do you know why Kuno picked a fight with me? He was saying something about an agreement with Ranma's mother. Why would she make an agreement with him? I just hope I haven't found myself a place in his delusions. He's a problem I'd prefer to leave to you and Ranma."

"I was there when it happened, Ukyo. I can't even begin to pretend to know what she was thinking, but she sent Kuno after you to distract him. She's not happy with you, but I think she did it because she wants him to marry me. She said she's already written to your father about her displeasure."

Ukyo's face fell. She knew she had crossed a line at the wedding, but she hadn't considered how Ranma's mother might respond. She had no choice but to swallow her pride and make whatever amends she could. She hoped she could at least keep Ranma's friendship if she couldn't convince him to choose her. At this point, it seemed unlikely he'd consider anyone other than Akane. How did she win him so easily? When had he fallen for her? She pushed those questions out of her mind… the answer would hurt more than the question.

"How can I make this right? I don't want him or his mother to hate me."

"She wanted to see things for herself, so if you went to the Nekohanten and asked about it, you might have a chance to meet her there. She'll probably have Ranma with her too. He's small enough that you'll probably want to hold him yourself."

Ukyo nodded, and made her way out from the school grounds. Akane left herself, after walking over to Kuno and pulling him down. There was no sense leaving him in such an uncomfortable position when he'd still be out for an hour or so. She kicked him in the side just to vent some frustration.

* * *

Pushing open the door to the Nekohanten with her free hand, Nodoka gave a nod to Cologne who was sitting at a table with Shampoo and Mousse. A mirror lay on its back in front of them. Ranma shifted against her shoulder, but remained asleep. She had been wondering about this artifact since Akane had mentioned it, and she had found enough free time to speak with Cologne.

"Hello Elder. Akane suggested I might speak with you about what happened to my son in China."

The grin that came across the wise woman's face was one of warmth and encouragement.

"I was expecting as much. What mother would be able to resist such an opportunity? I am certain that you will be quite pleased with the sort of man he's proved to be. That does of course, depend on how you judge such things."

"I am already pleased with him. He has his flaws, but he is still young. He is already a better man than his father."

Cologne could only nod in response. It wasn't exactly a high mark to reach, but Ranma seemed determined to be everything his father wasn't, especially where honour was concerned.

"All you will need to do is touch this mirror and concentrate on Ranma. The magic within will do the rest. The vision will pass in a few moments. We can discuss it afterwards."

After handing Ranma into the care of Shampoo, Nodoka sat down at the table and reached out to touch the mirror. In an instant, she found herself observing the darkest moment of her son's young life. She watched with horror and amazement as Ranma faced Saffron in battle, faced the loss of his love, and finally give voice to his heart. When she came out of the mirror, her face was pale and her eyes were watery with unfallen tears.

"My son…"

Cologne waited silently. Observing those events would affect people differently depending on their relationship with the boy. His mother was clearly torn between her pride in Ranma's accomplishment, and grief over the level of suffering he had gone through in order to succeed.

"He is impressive, isn't he? What you have just seen was no small feat. Even now, the balance of power in the region has shifted as a result of his actions."

"But he is still too young to have gone through so much.. He isn't a boy anymore."

"He will always be your son, dear, but I have to concur. There is an innocence lost here, and only fate knows what kind of man he will become. I pray to whatever gods there may be that he stays a good one."

"Of that, I have no doubt. I would not expect him to be anything else."

Cologne's nodded approvingly. Since she had come to Japan, the boy had continued to impress her with his potential. Disappointing as it was to let him go his own way, she still felt pride in the achievements of one of her finest students. Training the Tendo girl to be his equal would later become one of her proudest moments. She suspected that Ranma would want to take care of much of her training himself, but he still had the little matter of his pride to overcome. She'd be glad to step back in to the role of the wise grandmother. If she couldn't call him son-in-law any more, she'd at least call him nephew. It'd be interesting to see how he'd react… but that would have to wait.

Nodoka had another reason for coming to the Nekohanten, and it seemed like this would be a good moment to inquire about it. The restaurant was quiet, as the lunch rush had ended two hours before, and the dinner rush likely would not start yet for another hour.

"Elder, how is the research coming? Have you and Doctor Tofu found anything that might help him?

"I've had a few promising leads, but my only guinea pig is being resistant to the idea of testing any of them." She glared at the deaged Mousse, who only crossed his arms and frowned sullenly in response.

"Genma does not seem to have any interest in reversing it. Although, I can't say I really want him to at the moment either. He's back in his prime, and I believe he hopes to challenge Ranma before it wears off."

"That would be an interesting match. Your husband is a survivor, and it shows in his tactics. I would imagine there are still many things he has not taught Ranma."

"I know for a fact that there are, I also know why he has not taught them yet. There are a few tests Ranma must pass before those particular secrets can be shared."

"A good teacher never shares all their tricks, and your husband *is* trickier than most."

Nodoka just smirked. It was one of the reasons they were a better match than most people would've imagined. She knew all his tricks, and had her own counters to them. Genma still hadn't figured out her own tricks, but he had his own ways of countering her. Even after twenty years, they were still in stalemate. She suspected the same would hold true for Ranma and Akane.

"He's tricky, but I've never found him unpredictable. Either way, I'll have to let him know that he has actually surpassed my expectations with Ranma. I think I may let him squirm a little first, though."

Cologne laughed. "I used to do that sort of thing with my husband all the time. It was the rare time that he ever got away with anything. Even after thirty years together he could never figure out that I could read him so easily. It never gets old."

Their conversation was interrupted by Ukyo coming through the front door. She was slightly out of breath, having run here from the school.

Nodoka turned to look at her. "Well, Miss Kuonji, what brings you here? Don't you have your own restaurant to run?" Her voice still carried a bit of coldness, but she wasn't the type to hold grudges for very long, especially since she expected her impromptu plan to ultimately fail. She had another scheme going on that it would only help in the long run. [2]

"Akane said I'd likely run into you here. Why did you send Kuno after me? He's crazy!"

"I figured you could handle him, and I didn't want him interrupting my conversation with Akane. If I've inconvenienced you by doing that, I apologize. You know he wants to date Ranma's cursed form, so I just suggested I might allow it if he completed a task I knew to be impossible. I only implied the arrangement made with your father was to betroth my supposed daughter to your non-existent brother, and that she was bound by honour."

"So he agreed to interfere in my life on your behalf for something that was never going to happen in the first place?!"

"Is it any different from your interference in Akane's life? She was willingly going forward with the wedding because she loves my son, and you prevented that." She narrowed her eyes, glancing at both Ukyo and Shampoo. Shampoo looked downward, suitably chastened. "I know she has forgiven you for what you've done, but I do not do such things lightly. I will give you a chance to make amends. I suspect Akane told you about this mirror?"

Ukyo just nodded silently. Nodoka's lingering anger was not unexpected, so she knew she had to tread carefully. "She said that it would show me what happened to them in China."

Cologne and Nodoka exchanged glances. Shampoo and Mousse remained silent, as they had already experienced it twice - once in person, and once through the mirror's magic. It was not something easily discussed out of context.

Cologne spoke first. "She is not wrong. It will show you what happened, yes, but it will show you through Ranma's eyes. You will experience everything as he saw it, and as he felt it. It will be an intensely emotional experience for which I am not sure you are prepared. Even his own mother was nearly overwhelmed."

Nodoka just nodded. "It will show you more of who he truly is than he would ever speak. More, perhaps, then you would want to know. All you need to do is touch it."

Ukyo walked up to the table with trepidation, but as she approached Ranma looked at her with an adorable smile and reached out for her. "Ukky! Ukky!" It was clear he recognized her, but couldn't quite correctly pronounce her name.

Ukyo paused, her hand inches from the mirror, and looked at the infant. She reached over and ruffled his hair. "Ranma… Akane was right, only you would have something like this happen to you."

"You know?"

"Uh-huh. Akane told me after school today. I don't blame you for trying to keep this a secret, I remember how things went last spring." She looked at the mirror. "This isn't going to hurt, is it?"

Nodoka remained silent, letting Cologne speak. "It won't cause you any physical pain, no."

Ukyo didn't quite catch the implicit suggestion of emotional pain, and she plunged into the horrors of Jusendo without hesitation. She reflected later that a little bit of hesitation would've help her process what she had seen. She watched as Ranma fought for Akane's life. It was evident to her that this was the moment he finally chose who he loved. When she came out of the vision, she was simultaneously heartbroken and impressed. Knowing that she had no chance to have Ranma's love hurt a great deal, but to have seen just how much he loved Akane served as a heartening balm.

Ukyo was silent for a few moments after she emerged from the experience. She didn't think there was anything she could possibly say, until Shampoo spoke first.

"Spatula-girl sees truth. Akane die. Love bring her back. Ranma only love her. We lose before we even try."

Shampoo's acceptance of this had only been helped by seeing it for herself twice. The fact that she was trying to figure out how she really felt about Mousse likely solidified that decision. Ukyo only had to see them sitting closely together than they had before to piece that together.

"You were there, weren't you? Would it have been any different if I was there too?"

Shampoo shook her head.

Cologne looked at the young chef and nodded. "I don't think there was anything you could've done to change how things went, beyond helping the others. The Phoenix came for Akane because Ranma carried her picture with him. They used her against him. Would you have attempted the same sacrifices she did?"

The direct question gave Ukyo pause. She just wasn't sure. It wasn't unexpected for Akane to put herself at risk for Ranma's sake as she had done it many times before, but could she honestly convince herself she'd do the same?

"I don't know."

"She did not even hesitate. That is why she has his heart. The boy would risk all to save any of his friends, that is his nature, but to overcome his remarkable sense of restraint and actually intend to kill? Only a threatened love would provoke such a reaction."

In Shampoo's arms, the infant Ranma was looking around at those conversing, only to pause and reach out towards Ukyo. At Nodoka's nod, he was passed into her arms. She handled him a little awkwardly, as if afraid to drop him. Ranma relaxed, and let out a large yawn before dozing off.

"You can relax… he's as tough as he is normally. Don't be so afraid of him. He clearly trusts you."

"How can you stand to have him turn into a baby? Isn't there some way to turn him back?"

Cologne grinned. "The young Doctor Tofu and I are already looking into that. It should be temporary, but we're trying to speed up the process. He'll be causing trouble again, don't worry about that."

Nodoka stood up. "I am sorry, but I must be getting back home. Ukyo, would you come with me please? I believe you and Akane need to work some things out between you."

Ukyo nodded, and they both left for the Tendo Dojo.

Cologne watched them leave, and then turned to her great-granddaughter. "That went better than I imagined. You should try to befriend that girl, Shampoo. I suspect you both will need each other's help in the weeks to come."

Shampoo looked slightly confused. "Why great-grandmother say that?"

Cologne rolled her eyes, which on someone of her venerability looked decidedly youthful.

"She's a talented martial artist, and a great cook - why wouldn't you want someone else to test your skills against? Do you really think that things are going to remain peaceful? Open your eyes, girl, there's bound to be more trouble on the horizon."

Shampoo quietly nodded. "Okay."

"Now then… Mousse… It's time for another trial treatment. Come with me."

Mousse looked over to Shampoo with desperation in his eyes, but she just stood up and disappeared to her room. Resignedly, he got up and followed Cologne, leaving Shampoo alone with her thoughts.

* * *

When Nodoka reached the Tendo residence, Ukyo was still carrying the sleeping Ranma. As soon as they entered the house, Nodoka directed her up the stairs to Akane's room. Ukyo knocked quietly.

"Akane? I have Ranma."

"Oh! Just a moment, Ukyo."

Akane opened her door and invited her in, gesturing for her to put Ranma in the crib, and then inviting her to sit down beside her on the bed. Ukyo sat down, and then placed her hand on Akane's shoulder

"I saw everything."

"I lived it."

"It doesn't bother you that Ranma killed someone for your sake?"

"I can't say it doesn't, but it saved my life, so do I have the right to complain?" Akane frowned slightly. She was aware of Ranma's difficulty in accepting the responsibility of what he had to do, but she also didn't think it was fair for her to mention it.

"I think you're the only one who does. I don't think he'd listen to anyone else." She paused, letting out a heavy sigh. "It's not fair. Why couldn't he have just told us that it was you? How much trouble would it have saved everyone if he could've just said something about what he felt?"

"If he said something, he wouldn't be who he is. I think he was afraid of hurting anyone, so he never said anything. Then Jusendo happened, and he had to face a loss he couldn't do anything about. I think that was when he finally chose. I'm not sorry that it's me, but I am sorry that you and Shampoo had to be hurt."

"What about Kodachi? She's been after him too."

"Do you really count her?"

"Well… no… and I really doubt he's ever given her a second thought beyond when she causes trouble. Not like he does with us. I think he actually does care for the three of us in some way, but you most of all. I don't know why I didn't see it before, but he treats me like a sister."

Akane smiled as she looked at the sleeping Ranma. "At least he's not causing any trouble now…"

Ukyo laughed. "Just watch - once he's back to normal, trouble will catch up with him. It always does."

They continued chatting about what sort of trouble Ranma might get into once he was back to normal, as if there was no tension between them. Akane suspected that it had to do with the fact that Ukyo was usually left out of the chaos, unless it was directly related to her or her restaurant. They had always gotten along well, so as long as they kept to the things they had in common, they had plenty to talk about. Eventually, Ukyo had to leave to open her restaurant to get things ready for the dinner rush, leaving Akane alone with Ranma.

Two weeks had passed after Akane had finally settled matters with Ukyo and Shampoo. She spent her days either sparring with either them after school, or helping Cologne with her research. If she thought it odd how quickly they accommodated the change, she kept it to herself. If anything, the three of them had quickly found that without Ranma divided between them, there was much they had in common. Though she'd have been happier without the unsolicited cooking advice. Between them, Ukyo and Shampoo had agreed that they'd at least try to save Ranma from any further poisoning via Akane's cooking.

* * *

Akane had originally thought that having an infant Ranma in her room would prove to be an inconvenience, but it was clear that the affection he had for her remained in some form. Every time she came into her room while he was awake, he'd turn and look at her with a bright semi-toothless smile, and reach up to her. She'd usually scoop him up for a quick cuddle before taking him to his mother, or into the dining room for dinner. She wouldn't ever admit it to him, but she rather enjoyed taking care of him this way. At the moment, he was sound asleep in the crib beside her. [3]

She had been working on a homework assignment for her English class when someone knocked on her door. "Akane?" Kasumi's voice could be heard through the door. "Are you available to give me a hand with something?" She sighed, put down her pen, and went to open her door.

"Sure, Kasumi, what is it you need help with?" Akane had been getting a little frustrated with the assignment, which was to translate a poem from the original English. It was proving more difficult than it first appeared, so Kasumi's arrival was timely. She was certain that she needed the break.

"I need to go out and pick up some things for dinner. I'd like you to come with me."

Akane nodded. "I can do that. Ranma's napping right now. I'll let his mother know that we're going out so that she can keep an eye on him."

Kasumi smiled. "I'll be waiting by the gate. Please don't be too long."

Akane went out to the yard where Nodoka was reading by the koi pond. "Auntie Saotome, Ranma's asleep right now, and Kasumi has asked me to go with her to get some things for dinner. Can you check in on him while we're out?"

"Yes, I can do that. In fact, while you're out, could you pick up something for me? It's just a small thing I ordered for Ranma before this all happened." She handed Akane a slip of paper. "Just bring it to me when you come back. I'll have to wait until he's back to himself to give it to him."

"What is it?" Akane couldn't help her curiosity.

Nodoka shook her head. "You'll find out when he gets it. I think you'll enjoy seeing his reaction."

She met up with her sister at the front gate and they headed out to the market together. As they walked, Akane wondered aloud.

"Do you think Ranma will remember any of this?"

Kasumi thought for a moment before answering. She hadn't given the matter much thought beyond her initial amusement at the situation, and her current concern for her sister having to deal with it firsthand.

"It's possible, but I suspect that it will be quite vague."

"Do you think he'll remember that I actually kissed him?"

The hopeful look that came over Akane's face amused Kasumi so much that she couldn't resist teasing her sister.

"Oh, I doubt it. If it was what triggered his change, I'd imagine he'd want to forget all about it."

Akane looked crestfallen, until she heard her sister's giggling. "Kasumi!"

"I wouldn't worry too much about it. I thought you'd rather he remember agreeing to take you with him on his next training trip, but I can see why you'd want him to remember that instead."

"I just hope that Doctor Tofu and Elder Cologne can find a way to help him soon. It's getting harder and harder to explain why he isn't at school. I've told most people that he's gone away on another training trip, but he's usually only gone for a weekend, and it's already been two weeks."

"You could always tell people that he got dragged into someone else's fight again. That seems to happen quite often, and usually leads him quite far away."

"That doesn't help the rumours at school. At least Ukyo knows the truth. There are still people who are convinced he's mine. "

Kasumi quirked an eyebrow. "Isn't he?"

Akane stopped walking and stared at her sister. Kasumi just smiled in response.

"Not… not like that!"

"Not a denial, sister dear."

Akane looked at Kasumi with annoyance.

"You've been spending too much time with Nabiki."

She merely shrugged in response. They continued on with their task, and with the quick stop to do as Ranma's mother asked, within an hour they had returned home.

Akane gave the small package to Nodoka, and then went back up to her room to finish her homework. She paused at the doorway, noticing the empty crib. She went back downstairs to where Nodoka was, and asked her where Ranma was.

"Oh, he's in the dojo with his father and Happosai."

An answer like that just made Akane even more worried, so she rushed over to the dojo and was surprised to hear the loud giggling of a happy child. He was seated in his father's lap, and was delightedly watching Happosai juggle glowing balls of ki. She wasn't sure what confused her more, that Happosai was actually really good with babies, or that Genma wasn't wearing his bandanna. With his hair having grown back, he looked like a much older Ranma.

Happosai purposefully missed catching one of the ki balls, letting it hit the floor with an audible *pop*. He then had the remaining three remain in front of the captivated infant, slowly spinning in a mesmerizing pattern before having them whirl about the dojo, before coming to rest in his hands. Pulling his energy back into himself he gave Akane a wry grin as he stood up.

"Well, hello, Akane. Come to see the kiddo, have you?"

She blinked. Happosai was being civil, and wasn't even attempting to grope her chest. Was he feeling alright? She then noticed that Ranma was looking intently at her, reaching out for her. She moved forward and picked him up from his father's lap, as he found a comfortable position and dozed off.

"Grandfather Happosai? When did you become so good with babies?"

He nodded and stroked his chin, looking quite pensive. "Well, if I were to be honest, I can't recall a time when I wasn't. There's just something about the smile of a child that warms my heart. I know it isn't what would be expected of me, but…. I missed my chance to have children. I'll always regret that." [4]

Ugh. The idea of Happosai once having wanted children of his own was something she found as disturbing as it was heartwarming. She had seen plenty of evidence that he enjoyed being around children, and even Miss Hinako was evidence that he did have some small sense of compassion (even if it was usually done with a perverted ulterior motive).

It occurred to her that this change in his behaviour might have had something to do with the fact that he couldn't pester Ranma like he usually did until he changed back. She almost considered it as an argument in favour of keeping Ranma like this, but she let the thought pass her by. She left the dojo to go back to her homework.

As she was climbing the stairs, the phone rang. She heard Nodoka answer it and respond with a "Yes, Doctor Tofu." Her curiosity piqued, she stuck her head into the family room, and saw Nodoka waving her over. "This is excellent news, Doctor. I'll let Akane know, and we'll bring Ranma right over." She hung up, and turned to Akane.

"Doctor Tofu believes he's found something that will help Ranma return to normal. He wants us to bring him over as soon as possible. I suppose it's a good thing he's sleeping like that." She gestured to the infant in Akane's arms. "I don't think he'll appreciate being poked and prodded. I'll need to confer with Elder Cologne, and see if she can meet us there. Can you be ready in fifteen minutes?"

Akane nodded. "Yes, I can be ready. This is good news."

* * *

Once they had reached Doctor Tofu's clinic, Nodoka and Akane found Cologne and Shampoo waiting outside for them, with a restored to his proper age Mousse being examined inside by the doctor. Aside from a few bruises he appeared to be the picture of health. Said bruises were explained by Cologne as a necessary part of dealing with an uncooperative test subject. [5] Mousse felt differently, of course. He was at least glad to be back to his proper self.

"As you can see, we've found something that will work to reverse the changes caused by the mushrooms. I provided the herbal salve, and Doctor Tofu determined the proper pressure points to guide the flow of internal chi. Applying these to the boy should cause him to be restored to normal in a matter of hours."

Akane couldn't hide her grin fast enough. It had been a long and stressful time at school for her, having to deflect rumours so many times a day. Ranma being restored to normal would make things significantly easier for her… as long as those things weren't related to Ranma at all. He had a knack for making her life complicated without even trying. Akane wasn't sure if this was something inherent to him, or if it was just a result of their as yet untangled emotional ties.

"So it's a salve and pressure point massage? That sounds remarkably simple." Nodoka noted. She had expected a far more complex solution.

"More or less, yes." Doctor Tofu began to explain. "I've drawn up a chart of the pressure points that need to be applied, but the salve must be applied at the same time. It will require two people for the treatment to be successful. Mrs. Saotome, if you can apply the pressure points, Akane can apply the salve and monitor the results. If I recall correctly, you've already had some practice with such things."

Nodoka nodded. "Yes. There are some pressure point techniques I have used before, and looking at the chart, it doesn't seem overly complicated."

"The treatment should be applied just before sleeping for best results. If it remains close to the results I had with Mousse, then he should revert to normal shortly after waking up." Cologne was quite certain it might be even sooner than that, but the inherent comedy she found in the situation made her refrain from explaining that.

"Is there anything that we might need to do after he reverts back to normal?" Akane asked, concerned that there might be yet another magical complication to undo.

"Hrm.." Cologne looked thoughtful for a moment. "It might be best if you had a change of clothes for him, as he'll probably tear through anything he's wearing prior to the change. Beyond that, I doubt there's anything else that needs doing."

Shampoo pulled out a small container from the basket beside her and handed it to Akane.

"This is salve for Ranma. Not much there, but should be enough."

Akane thanked Shampoo and Cologne, and nodding to Mousse and Doctor Tofu, set it beside the chart given to Nodoka.

"When he's back to normal, have Ranma come by so I can confirm his status. He might feel a little weak for a day or so as his body finds its balance."

Nodoka nodded. "I will do so. Would this same treatment work for Genma?"

Dr. Tofu looked thoughtful. "You mentioned that he didn't want to change back prematurely? I'm sorry, but he has enough mastery over himself that he'd be able to negate the effects on himself. He'd have to be willing in order for it to work. Ranma does not have anywhere near that level of control yet."

Nodoka's eyes narrowed slightly out of frustration. "I see. Thank you, Doctor." With that, she and Akane left for home. The sooner Ranma was back to himself, the better chance they'd have of setting things in order. It would be very difficult for Akane to fix the chaos in her life without Ranma, especially since he was the indirect cause of so much of it.

It didn't take long to set things up to treat Ranma's condition after getting home. While Akane applied the salve to his back and his mother applied the pressure points, Ranma started to doze off to sleep. Once he was asleep, Akane took him up to her room to place him in the crib before trying to finish her homework.

* * *

Akane woke to the sound of suddenly splintering wood, and a loud yelp of pain. She looked down from her bed and saw a prone Ranma stuck between the remains of the crib he had been sleeping in. Lying on his back staring up at her, he groaned pitifully. She blinked, and slowly realizing Ranma's state of dress, she averted her eyes and threw her blanket over him.

His muffled voice rose from the floor. "Thanks. I think. Why am I in your room?" He realized the state he was in, and flushed. With a plaintive moan he added, "Why am I naked?" He shifted his position under the blanket until he was free of the ruined crib.

Akane kept her eyes on the other wall of her room, trying not to turn to look at him, even though he was covering himself with the blanket. "You had a little… incident with the Mushrooms of Time again….", She started. "Apparently, your curse makes you a little more sensitive to magic. What's the last thing you remember?"

Ranma stood up, tying the blanket around his waist. Thinking for a moment, he answered. "We were up on the roof last night planning a training trip, weren't we?" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Did you…. Did you kiss me?" That at least stood out to him. He remembered the feelings of confusion and contentment as she drew closer to him, but they were then lost in a jumbled static. [6]

Akane's eyes widened. She hadn't expected him to remember that. She nodded and could just ***sense*** the blush that came over him. "Ranma…. that was almost two weeks ago. You were so shocked when I kissed you that it triggered the mushrooms and turned you into a baby. Doctor Tofu and Elder Cologne figured out how to reverse it last night." She pointed to the corner of her room. "I kept some clothes out for you in case it worked. Please get dressed.. I don't want Nabiki to get any ideas about us." She paused… "Well, not any more ideas…"

She got up from her bed and left to fetch his mother. She'd certainly want to know he was back to normal. The fact that she'd be escaping the source of her current embarrassment was a secondary benefit. She did at least attempt to sneak a glance at his bare chested reflection in her mirror before she left her room. Unexpectedly, she found that Ranma's smirk was waiting to answer her wandering gaze.

* * *

[1] - So named for obvious reasons, these have a tendency to fall apart in hilarious fashion. It's entirely logical that Ranma's schemes are doomed to go the same way… except those that come up during combat.

[2] - I would not be surprised if any of you guess this particular scheme she's come up with. It should be pretty obvious in the long run, as her motivations have already been clearly stated.

[3] - Rule of thumb I've rapidly learned - never trust that an infant at rest will remain at rest. Especially if you're actually trying to get something done.

[4] - The very idea of someone like Happosai being a father makes my skin crawl…. I have Brain Bleach available for a nominal fee. .

[5] - The lament of many mad scientists. Not that Cologne counts as such, but she certainly has mastered the required cackle.

[6] - There's always a bit of confusion in moments of heightened emotion. This would be no different, especially since it was the sort of thing Ranma would never think to anticipate.


End file.
